INNISFAIL - After 18 months of planning, study and public consultation the town will finally move into automated waste collection service this spring for community households.
Town council officially approved the initiative at its regular meeting on Jan. 28, which included the contract for a new service provider, Environmental 360 Solutions (E360S), which will take over residential waste collection service from Waste Management. The new contract with E360S will be for three years, with an option to extend for two additional one-year periods.
Council's approval also allows the town to purchase new 65-gallon waste (black) and organic (green) carts for $400,000. That cost will come from a town reserve account and be paid back from monthly solid waste rates over an 11-year period or less.
"Golly, it is a step forward. It is not going to cost more, which is a good thing," said Mayor Jim Romane, noting residents will still have the same $23 monthly charge on their waste collection bills under the new automation system. "If we had to stay with the old bag system it (cost) would have started to increase more than what we are projecting with the automated system.
"If we can reduce the number of pickups, and what we understand there should be less waste going to the garbage portion if the kitchen waste is going out with the recyclable with the compostable," added Romane. "That should be reduced and maybe we can cut down on some of the pickups."
The contract for E360S to begin the new automated waste collection service begins April 1. However, it is still not clear whether full automation will be ready for the entire town at that time.
"They (new contractor) indicated they are prepared to do the changeover in April. We are still working with them on that date just to confirm that it all works out for them logistically to have those bins delivered to each home in Innisfail," said Rod Fraser, director of operational services. He added it could take a bit longer to get the new program fully operational. "They say they could be ready. We just need to confirm those dates with them. I would say before June," he said.
Waste and recycling collection in town will move from a four-day a week schedule to three days, a move designed to achieve a lower contract rate that is based on increased efficiency. Commercial and industrial establishments are not included in the new automated waste collection service.
The pickup of recycling materials will continue unchanged with the weekly green box service. Residents will have the option to secure a second box if it's required.
The new automated waste collection service takes into account council's strategic priority of diverting waste from the landfill, and encouraging increased recycling and composting. With that consideration, the town will now handle kitchen waste year-round as part of the green cart organic pickup service.
"The collection of kitchen waste is becoming increasingly common in other jurisdictions (as) it reduces the waste sent to the landfill by redirecting it to be recycled and reduces waste processing costs as organics processing is substantially less than garbage," said administration's report to council.
Although some councillors said they would have liked to have seen glass collection as part of the new service they were told none of the six proposals seeking the town's new waste collection contract offered that service, which can be costly. However, Fraser said the town could be open to providing glass collection service in the future if there is a market for it.
In the meantime, Todd Becker, the town's chief administrative officer, said the town will soon be launching a comprehensive public education plan to help citizens understand the new automated waste collection program and its transition.
"We want to minimize the amount of public confusion that could occur while changing the program and delivery," said Becker.
He said the town will be rolling out its public education plan by mid-February in different media platforms.
