Red Deer apartment and condo dwellers, businesses and industries could see a change in who picks up their garbage.
Red Deer city council unanimously gave initial approval this week to a bylaw amendment that would affect multi-family residential waste pick up, and commercial garbage collection.
The city’s waste management superintendent, Janet Whitesell, told city council all residents should be treated the same, so her department is proposing the city supply and pick up all waste for multi-family residential units.
Right now, the city only picks up waste in apartment bins smaller than six cubic yards. Garbage in larger bins is picked up by private companies.
But Whitesell is recommending by January 2021, the city become responsible for all residential garbage pickup, to be consistent with the city’s waste management master plan.
She told city council if this change is approved, residents of multi-family complexes could eventually get the green-cart-style organic pick up that’s available to single-family home dwellers.
“We’d have to launch a pilot project first,” she said, but there’s already public interest being shown in expanding this program.
Whitesell didn’t anticipate much of a cost increase, as only 50 multi-residential customers are now using private waste collection, and the change to city service would be factored in over 18 months.
The other proposed bylaw amendment would give more flexibility to commercial operations for their trash pick up.
Whitesell said the city supplies and picks up commercial bins smaller than six-cubic yards, while private contractors pick up waste from larger bins.
Under the proposed changes, businesses and industries could choose between the city or a private contractor to pick up garbage in any size of bin.
This expands flexibility for businesses, she said, and presents an opportunity for the city to increase its revenues by potentially adding commercial customers who previously had to use commercial pick up for their larger bins.
She expects some businesses will return to using city service.
City council unanimously approved first reading of the bylaw amendment. It will go to a public hearing Aug. 19.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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