MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - The Mountain View Regional Waste Management Commission is surveying member municipalities as it considers the future of recycling centres in the district.
The Recycling Services Survey has been sent to Mountain View County to solicit input regarding the current level of service of recycling within the commission’s service area, which also includes Olds, Sundre, Didsbury, Carstairs and Cremona.
Although the survey is not binding on members, the board plans to debate the appropriate level of service based on member input, say officials.
The commission is looking for feedback on what level of service members support, with three alternatives presented for discussion: maintain current service levels; reduce services levels to transfer station and landfill only; close all recycling collection sites.
Mountain View County council discussed the survey during the recent council meeting, held in person and on Zoom.
Deputy reeve Greg Harris is the commission’s current chairman.
“In today’s current market recycling is close to 60 per cent of the fee for service that we charge to our municipal members,” Harris told council.
“All research shows that the majority, if to all of this is simply being taken by a third party transport company and being taken to a different landfill somewhere and put into the landfill. There is so much that is not going anywhere except into a landfill and we are paying a lot of money collectively to do that.”
The demand for recycled materials have declined sharply in recent years, he said.
“There is just no place to send it,” he said.
Maintaining the recycling centres in Olds, Sundre, Cremona, Didsbury, Eagle Hill and Midway will cost the commission about $500,000 this year.
Council passed a motion to recommend the option that calls for reduced service levels, limiting service to transfer stations and landfill only.
That options reads, in part, “The commission could maintain recycling services at the three regional sites: Didsbury landfill, Sundre transfer station and Water Valley transfer station. This would lead to a reduction in operating costs of up to $311,000 by terminating recycling services in Cremona, Carstairs, Eagle Hill, Midway and Olds.
“Suspending service in the municipal regions will likely result in increased blue-box use, and therefore net costs may increase at the municipal level."
Under the option recommended, “Increased utilization of the regional sites would like come with an increase in hauling fees. This option would provide access to recycling services for residents who remain committed to recycling, despite the less-than-ideal diversion rates of these products from the landfill.”
In a letter accommodating the survey, commission officials said, in part, that, “On many occasions commission staff have witnessed sorted recyclables being disposed of as waste in the landfill. This occurs everywhere as the lack of markets renders much of the sorted materials as waste. Contractors simply dispose of the products at the lowest possible net cost.”
Commission member municipalities are being asked to complete and return the survey by Dec. 6, with a review of the responses scheduled for its Dec. 12 meeting.
“Based on member input, the commission would then provide each member with revised waste and membership agreements to be presented to each municipality’s council,” said commission chief administrative officer Michael Wuetherick.
Coun. Peggy Johnson said it is important that residents be made aware of any changes prior to implementation.
Council passed a second motion calling on the commission to undertake “extensive and adequate” public consultation should a decision be made to shut down the recycling centres.
Any changes to services for the 2023 commission budget year, and any related changes to municipal fees, would be subject to approval by the commission board and also approval at the municipal level, county chief administrative officer Jeff Holmes said in a briefing note to council.
