Curbside recycling: Over to you.
In May of this year the Town of Edson is starting a new curbside garbage collection service contracted out to Can Pak Environmental Inc. (Can Pak). The move makes a lot of sense for town finances and will mean that it doesn’t have to shell out megabucks for a new garbage truck this year. Issues with the new garbage bins could be freezing shut and the plastic breaking down with exposure to sunlight and cold. The latter I have experienced in the UK. With those reservations, by and large, they work well.
Now, to the question of the day, curbside recycling. The Town of Edson seems ready to go ahead with this and one of the last hurdles is going out to public consultation. As we understand it, curbside recycling, if it goes ahead, is a compulsory add to the utility bill, whether one uses it or not. Residents will be paying $2-$4 per month extra, not a great deal in cash terms. In percentage terms, it equates to around a 25 per cent to 32 per cent hike. Can Pak has told the Town of Edson that the recycle service will cost $2.05 per month for curbside collection every two weeks. This seems very low, however, Can Pak say it is confident. This price could rise over time in line with other Town bills. It’s not an opt in or opt out service. Residents will pay whether they use the service or not.
With regards to the Edson & District Recycle Society (EDRS), which the Town of Edson contributes to in a ratio of 65 per cent to 35 per cent respectively with Yellowhead County, the town has said that it will not look at adjusting its budget this year. Next year, presumably, there could be an adjustment or worse to EDRS’s funding from the Town of Edson.
I have first hand experience of curbside recycling in the UK. There are issues. The biggest of which is contamination. Recycling contaminated with garbage is pretty much worthless. Towns and cities, despite extensive education campaigns have had to resort to fining residents for contaminating recycling. The Town of Edson is looking to get into curbside recycling just as other major centres, including Edmonton, may be considering getting out. Indeed, two days before I wrote this piece I read in the Richmond, B.C. media that recycling was in turmoil as China, the world’s largest market for recycling, slams the door. It’s going to be challenging going forward.
As things stand, a go for curbside recycling will affect EDRS’ take of the town’s domestic recycling. Further down the line, EDRS’s funding from the Town of Edson could be reduced or cut entirely. Could commercial recycling be collected by Can Pak in the future too? One couldn’t rule it out. From my UK experience Items that curbside collection won’t take will likely end up in the landfill or fly tipped.
Last year, New Brunswick announced that curbside recycle collection would replace recycling depots and 28 such depots would close. This is before the China bombshell. It’s possible that over time that EDRS could close its doors too, which is a shame because EDRS is about so much more with the community that isn’t valued on a spread sheet as one of the best run facilities in the country not to mention
its Take it or Leave it and the work that it does with seniors. As we see it, Edson residents have a one-time
opportunity here. Over to you. Take part in the consultation, make your feelings known to Council.