The coveted convenience of curbside recycling could be just months away for Squamish residents. At a strategy session on Tuesday (June 24), Carney's Waste Systems president Owen Carney described a plan that would have recyclables picked up every second week with no additional cost to taxpayers."We could decommission all the depot systems," he said. "They would all go away and that land could be used for whatever purpose you see fit."Both recyclables and waste would be picked up on a biweekly basis, meaning households that fill up their bin on a weekly basis would need to cut their waste in half. "That will be a problem," said Carney.He said families that can't reduce waste could pay to have their 65-gallon tote upgraded to a 96-gallon one.Coun. Patricia Heintzman asked if household's requiring only a small bin could get a break on fees as incentive to reduce waste. Carney was hesitant about the idea."We couldn't give them a break that way because the collection is the same. We want to standardize it."He said administrating such a variety of bins could be "a nightmare." Coun. Corinne Lonsdale said she was enthusiastic about the service."I'm really excited. Two and a half years ago we made this a priority try to get this curbside recycling in place by the time of the election."Curbside recycling could be offered with no additional cost to taxpayers in part due to the changing market for recyclables. Carney said the collected material could be turned into bails in town and sold to a business in Vancouver to be reused. However, glass is one product that could not be picked up curbside since it cannot be incorporated into the commingled bails.The proposal would be phase two of a three-step process, Carney said. Next would be curbside organic recycling with materials shipped to a Whistler composting unit currently under construction.This phase would likely result in higher taxes, but would help extend the landfill's life, Carney said, adding grants may be available to the district for the service. The new recycling bins would not need to be bear proofed.However, Carney suggested bear proofing all the bins in town, which are currently only modified on a voluntary basis.Proofing recycle bins would cost $19.26 each year for five years, meaning about $1.60 per month for each household, if the fee is passed down to taxpayers, Carney said. "It would bring Squamish a long way ahead of the curve when it comes to bears."While council showed unanimous support for the proposed changes, they will not be able to officially vote on the matter until it is brought to council in bylaw form. If it is approved by July, Carney said curbside recycling would begin by October when residents would receive a garbage tote with a blue lid for their recyclables.
