City to launch first phase of curbside recycling in April
FIRST 900 BLUE BINS TO BE DELIVERED IN APRIL
The City of Lethbridge has launched phase one of its new curbside recycling program.
Beginning in April, about 900 homes in five different communities will receive their recycling bin. This is the first stage in what will eventually become city-wide residential curbside recycling in 2019.
In addition, 20 bins will be tested with multi-family complexes.
Phase one will include portions of the Country Meadows, Garry Station, Fairmont, Stafford Manor and Victoria Park/Upper Eastside neighbourhoods.
The locations were chosen based on a number of factors including geographic location, front or rear pickup, street design and the age of the neighbourhood.
“We wanted to make sure we had different conditions to test for the pilot,” said Joel Sanchez, general manager of Waste and Recycling Services.
Participants in the first phase will be receiving notices within the next few days introducing them to the program.
This will be followed by a more robust information package in the coming weeks. As part of the program, they will be invited to provide input to the City over the next year in order to improve the program before full implementation.
A news release stated the City has worked with private recycling companies when choosing the phase 1 locations to ensure the least amount of impact on their business.
Once completed, Sanchez said the Materials Recovery Facility will have the capacity to process the materials private recyclers collect, should they choose to move into commercial recycling or find another way to stay viable outside the City program.
“The private recyclers, if they are going to be moving to the industrial, commercial, institutional sector, and they want to bring their recyclables to the MRF, they are going to be accepted,” said Sanchez.
He added small municipalities in the region may also have an opportunity to send their recyclables to the MRF, but will need to follow the same format used in Lethbridge.
For now, the program will include paper and cardboard; paper cups; plastic jugs, bottles, packaging, and food containers; metal food cans and foil; and beverage containers.
Materials which will not be allowed will include plastic bags, garbage; syringes, glass, hazardous materials, scrap metal, foam cups or polystyrene, construction materials and electronics.
“What we have been hearing is quality, quality, quality,” said Sanchez. “We need to make sure that whatever we get out of this MRF, will meet the quality of the markets.”
In November 2016, city council voted in favour of introducing curbside recycling.
The new program will provide blue carts to each household for the bi-weekly collection of accepted recyclable material. Recycling and garbage pickup will occur on alternating weeks, reducing garbage collection to every other week.
Council also approved the construction of a MRF which will handle the recyclables collected through the curbside program.
The planning and design of the MRF, which will be located at the Waste and Recycling Centre, is expected to be operational in early 2019.
The City will contract out the sorting and shipping of recyclables of phase 1.
The new curbside program is projected to add $7 to monthly residential utility bills.
Phase 1 participants will not be charged until the new fees are added for all residents.
Once the MRF is operational, the sale of the recyclable materials will help offset a portion of the overall cost of the curbside program.
For more information on the curbside recycling project, please visit lethbridge.ca/CurbsideRecycling.