A chance to pick up the service through the North Okanagan Regional District was defeated in a tie vote at Coldstream council Monday.
Only six members of council were available to vote, with Mayor Gary Corner away. Opposition from Couns. Jim Garlick, Glen Taylor and Doug Dirk defeated the option.
The proposed service aims to reduce the amount of garbage that goes to the landfill as well as the number of vehicles hauling by providing the service with a one-bag per week limit (with an option to buy additional bag tags).
Feeling very strongly about the issue, Coun. Mary Malerby pleaded for her colleagues to vote in favour, reminding them that the landfill is filling up quickly.
“We have a responsibility in order to make it last as long as we possibly can,” said Malerby, citing the proposed service as a great way to do so. “When Vernon moved to universal garbage their recycling actually increased.”
But concerns were raised that those who already diligently recycle and produce only a bag or two of garbage a month might feel compelled to do otherwise.
“If you’re allowing everybody to put out a bag of garbage every week then people will say, ‘well, I’m paying for it so I might as well put it out,’” said Coldstream Ratepayers Association president Gyula Kiss, who is also a former member of NORD’s Waste Management Committee.
The proposed cost of universal garbage collection is estimated to be cheaper than service provided by either of the two local companies. Compared to the $27 to $31/quarter currently charged by these companies for one bag a week pickup, the universal program cost would be $21.45 per quarter.
The aim is to split the contract between the two local contractors, if they are willing.
But Taylor fears once that contract is up, the local providers will be pushed out by big business.
“After three or five years you’re going to get the big wheels coming in here and going for that contract and these little guys are going to disappear.”
There is also the concern of administrative costs, as NORD would be fielding all complaint calls, dealing with contractor payments and such.
But Michael Stamhuis, director of engineering services, sees the system as a positive option.
“The benefit I see is essentially cost and efficiency. In my area, for example, there are three houses picked up by one contractor, there are three houses picked up by another and the others who self haul.”
This is the second time the option for universal garbage collection has come up at Coldstream in the past five months. The issue was tabled in November as council sought further information on costs and benefits.
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I have said a lot more about the mandatory garbage collection issue at the Council meeting.I explained that no matter who delivers the garbage, once it produced it has to go to the landfill site one way or the other. The best way to control garbage is at the site of production. Senior Governments should act to control the production of garbage at the manufacturing end.
For example, styrofoam is one of the worst offenders. It is very light yet it takes up huge volumes of the landfill site. It is not recycled yet huge amounts are produced to package all sorts of products.
I also suggested that private contractors would be just as willing to charge for extra bags as those working for NORD if requested by bylaws.
Those of us producing very small amounts of garbage should be allowed to deliver our own products to the landfill site at a fraction of the cost of the mandatory collection.
Individuals hiring their own haulers (one of two) will also avoid problems garbage strikes create. We are all aware of periodic strikes and their consequences in our major cities.
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