The City of St. Albert organics program has a plastic problem, which could soon cost the city taxpayers’ money if the problem is not solved soon.
This week Roseridge Landfill manager Gerard Duffy raised the alert that he is at the point of levying a $150 fine for every St. Albert truckload of organics that comes contaminated with plastic. He is also contemplating bumping the collection fee by $10 per tonne to account for the extra work.
The bins are supposed to contain only compostable bags and organic waste, but Duffy says 15 per cent of St. Albert loads contain plastic. Organics contaminated with plastic means more work for landfill staff as they have to repeatedly flip the plastic bags to break them open to release the organics.
To make matters worse, some loads even contain entire city of St. Albert green carts. These are the wheeled containers that are used to gather the organics.
Duffy said the problem has been ongoing, but recent changes in landfill practice mean the landfill can now isolate the source of each load. In some cases the source is clearly identifiable. One recent picture provided by the landfill shows plastic bags of waste and two intact City of St. Albert green carts among the organic waste.
Duffy estimates there have been a few dozen St. Albert green carts that have ended up in the landfill, though city environmental director Leah Kongsrude estimates only five green carts ended up in the landfill by mistake. The problem arises when the bins fall into the trash compactor truck before the contractor can rescue them. But clearly there is still an issue if the carts are ending up at the landfill.
Kongsrude said the contractor tags non-compostable waste when they see it and leaves it at the curb for homeowners to deal with. Perhaps an immediate and thorough crackdown needs to happen to remind residents to properly separate their waste.
Morinville Councillor Stephen Dafoe who represents the town on the Roseridge board wondered whether St. Albert’s practice of picking up trash only every second week is encouraging residents to put trash in their organics carts. He noted that some St. Albert loads are contaminated with more than just plastic, containing bags of garbage, microwaves, boots and other items.
A successful curbside collection program requires getting many things right.
There is no doubt the organics program is doing some good work. St. Albert waste diversion programs co-ordinator Olivia Kwok said 11,000 tonnes of waste was diverted through the green cart program last year. The city deserves kudos for collecting organic waste during winter. Many municipalities suspend their organics programs during the winter months and some larger cities do not have organic programs at all.
But clearly the city program is not working as intended. The City of St. Albert must address this problem with education, enforcement and a better attention to what is going to the landfill. The organic green carts are not a place for normal garbage. The city website provides instructions on what to put in the bin, but a public campaign could help draw attention to the issue.
It is going to take greater effort by city residents, the city contractor and city environmental services to make sure only compostables end up at the landfill. Otherwise city taxpayers could be footing a higher bill for composting.
