Following a number of concerns voiced by residents, the Town of Irricana is preparing an information package detailing the organics recycling – known as the green bin program – approved by the municipality in the 2016 budget.
At the June 20 meeting, Mayor Dennis Tracz told council he discovered about 42 to 56 per cent of what ends up in household garbage bins could be diverted to green bins.
“The biggest concern is that people don’t understand what the green bin actually is,” he said. “It’s not all about composting.”
Tracz noted items like fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, egg shells, dairy products, fast food packaging such as hamburger wrappers and French fry boxes, pizza boxes, sauces, dressings and table scraps could all go in the green bins for recycling. He said branches, pruning, soil, paper plates, napkins, wax coated paper products, disposable coffee cups, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, chop sticks, microwave popcorn bags, pet hair, dryer paper, dog food bags, feathers and nail also go in the bins.
With Calgary landfill tipping fees already at $115 per ton, he said the municipality could face upwards of $300 per ton in 2017 without the green bins when fines for violations of organics are implemented in 2017.
He said those extra fines would then be passed down to the ratepayers through taxes and would most likely be more than the cost of the green bin program.
“If we properly implement (the green bin program), over the long run, we shouldn’t see an increase (in taxes),” Tracz said.
Currently trucks from RMW Consulting Inc., which collects waste in Irricana, are already equipped with cameras on the back to see what garbage is dumped from each bin. Tracz said it isn’t too far in the future that those fines could start being directed to the households in violation.
Tracz added, the list of communities implementing or running green bin programs is growing and eventually Irricana will not have a choice in the matter.
“We’re not the leading edge on this by any means,” he said. “As a matter of fact, we’re kinda behind.”
Council directed administration to have the information package available to the public by August and enter into negotiations to see if the green bin program could commence in Irricana prior to October.
“Our bins aren’t big enough for garbage because half the stuff that is in there isn’t garbage,” Tracz said. “It’s organic stuff that can fit in these bins.
“Let’s get on with this.”
