Following an intense debate on Aug. 8, Innisfail Town Council agreed to approve first reading of an amendment to the Solid Waste Collection and Disposal Bylaw that would see new disposal charges for recycling, grass clippings and leaves.
As well agreement was reached to proceed with a motion to significantly increase the charge to dispose of bulk-residential and bulk-commercial waste, while also banning trucks larger than a half-ton pickup and trailers larger than eight-feet by eight-feet from disposing of garbage. All commercial loads will now be directed to the City of Red Deer Waste Management Facility if the amendment is approved later this month.
Innisfail Mayor Jim Romane admitted the proposed changes would not go over smoothly with the commercial business section and residential areas without access to the town’s curb-side recycling program.
“We’ve gone to the great extent of making curb side recycling available and we’re saying use it or pay to bring it down there,” Romane said of the residential service, noting that the changes wouldn’t go over well with some people. “The commercial part of it is basically saying we’d prefer that you find an alternate source for your recycling.”
Under the proposed amendments it will soon cost $75 per load to drop off bulk-residential, construction and industrial waste at Innisfail’s transfer station. Household garbage currently costs $10 per load, loads in pickup trucks and trailers smaller than eight-feet cost $15, one-ton truck loads cost $30, loads in two-ton trucks and trailers between eight and 20 feet cost $50, and loads in three-ton trucks and trailers over 20 feet cost $100.
Residential or commercial recyclables, which there was previously no charge, will now cost $25 per load. Grass clippings will now cost $50 per load, while leaves will cost $25 per load – both were free previously.
Coun. Mark Kemball asked why those residents who do not have access to the curb side recycling program would be charged a $25 fee for each load of residential or commercial recycling.
“If somebody doesn’t have that available to them, even though that’s not our problem I guess, if they decide they’re going to take their recycling every Saturday it’s going to cost them $25 every Saturday or $100 a month?” he asked. “To me that’s way out of line.”
Kemball questioned whether residents who do not have access to a green bin would be expected to let their recycling pile up for a month or two before taking it to the transfer station in order to cut costs.
Responding to Kemball’s concerns, Coun. Derek Baird said the town is currently running a monthly deficit of between $15,000 and $20,000 on garbage and recycling and the increased fees would allow it to recoup some of the cost. It might also encourage people with larger loads to take their trash directly to the Horn Hill Waste Transfer Facility, Baird explained.
“We struggled with that $25 (fee) for recycling, but at the end we decided we needed to recoup some money because you can’t be in a losing situation all the time,” he said.
Kemball acknowledged the plan, but said he feared the new fees would force some people to throw their recycling out with their trash.
“I just know what’s going to happen is we’re going to fill the landfill here,” he said. “It’s just going to end up in a bin or somewhere else.”
Baird said the town is the middle man and is forced to pay to scoop up the trash at the transfer station, load it into trucks and ship it out to Horn Hill.
“Usually the middle man makes the money, but in this case we’re not,” he said.
The town never took the issue lightly and struggled to find a fee that would be fair but still allow for some cost recovery, Baird explained.
“If you want to break even then someone has to pay,” he said. “I think a lot of people, not just the recyclers but the people with the leaves and all that from commercial businesses, have had a free-for-all for the last 10, 15 years.”
Small business owner Debra Stoski asked council what options would be available to small businesses for commercial recycling.
“If you’re going to do stuff like this I think there should be (an education process) of what’s available to small business so we can think about it,” she said. “I would say it’s not a business person trying to be a jerk – I’m worried about my business, not garbage.”
Second and third reading could occur at the Aug. 22 town council meeting.
