INNISFAIL – With the new year soon arriving the town is preparing to launch an education blitz for local residents on all the dos and don’ts for waste disposal with the new automated collection system.
Town officials have noticed an alarming number of incidents of strange and oversized items being tossed in the 65-gallon black waste bin, items that should have been hauled to the town’s transfer station at the homeowner’s expense. These odd items include computer terminals, drywall and even large batteries.
And this is costing the town money as it has to pay more for tonnage costs to have these items hauled 49 kilometres southeast of town to the Kneehill County Landfill & Waste Transfer Site.
While the town is maintaining its original $23 monthly fee in 2020 for waste disposal with the new automated service, which began last May, that charge may have to go up the following year to offset the expenses caused by unnecessary tonnage.
“They (citizens) were putting items in the garbage that should have gone to the transfer station,” said Heather Whymark, the town’s director of corporate services.
“Whoever put a battery in there, we are paying for the weight of that battery. That is what we have to get out to educate.
“If we can get the tonnage under control to what it is supposed to be then we won’t be looking at an increase,” she added.
Whymark said the problem has convinced the town that 2020 should be an “education year” for local residents on how best to utilize the new automated waste collection service.
“We never really did go into a deep education when we started. With the automation it was just to get it up and running and get the kinks out of it,” she said. “This is a good year to pick to educate the public on what can go in there and what can’t, and what is going to help them down the road.”
Steven Kennedy, director of operational services, said he will meet with officials from Environmental 360 Solutions (E360S), the town’s waste collection contractor, in January to discuss the public education initiative. He said there was definitely an adjustment curve with the first eight months of service as there were more than 400 complaints and inquiries about the new service. However, most were in the first few months. In August alone there were 82 calls but that dropped dramatically in September when there were only eight.
“People are getting used to the system,” said Kennedy. “We are getting into a rhythm with the program that is working. And now is about how we make it more efficient.”
He said the messaging will include awareness of the proper bins for different types of waste, and an understanding on why the disposal of waste must be done properly.
He said the education program will also address the availability of the local waste transfer station, which is free for certain types of disposals.
In the meantime, the town’s new glass recycling program, which was launched last June, will also be part of the new year education blitz.
Whymark said citizens are using the service but still not to the “potential” the town was hoping for.
“That will be in that 2020 education as well,” she said, adding the difference with this service is that citizens must drive to the local transfer station to drop off glass waste at no cost.
“We are going to promote it again, keep reminding citizens that they can take glass down there.”
