A new report has provided some clarity into how a curbside recycling program might work in Estevan.
At the May 27 regular meeting of council, a report from city manager Jim Puffalt was included on the agenda. In his report Puffalt noted a complete inspection of the City was carried out to determine which areas are not suited for curbside collection.
After the investigation, which the report indicated was carried out by a very mature summer student, it was determined that there are a handful of areas where curbside recycling was not feasible. It was noted that due to heavy traffic, the homes on Fourth Street, Albert Street, the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Sixth Street and the 1000, 1100, 1200 and 1300 blocks of Third Street would need to have back alley recycling. The report added there were also areas of Second Street A and First Street that would need to have back alley collection because it would be physically impossible to get the bins to the street.
Based on the findings in the report, it was noted that the rest of the city could have curbside recycling and recommended to go to that, noting that there would be a reduced cost for all; large sections of the city are curbside already; and less than one per cent of the properties of the city are not able to complete curbside recycling.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said council has reviewed the report and now plan to meet with Regens Disposal, the lone company to place a bid on the City's garbage and recycling contract, to come up with a plan for the future.
"We are going over the report at this time with the intention of getting together with Regens, asking any questions and working through the issues with the intention of setting up a policy," Ludwig said. "I don't know if we'll make everyone happy but we are sure going to try and get the majority of people onboard."
In May the City held a public meeting to hear how the public feels about recycling in Estevan. It was evident at the meeting that most want recycling but do not want to see the bins placed curbside. However, the proposal submitted to the City by Regens did not include provisions for back alley recycling, a fact that leaves the City in somewhat of a bind.
Ludwig said council isn't prepared to scrap recycling all together and will likely have to move forward with a plan that might not be popular to some residents.
"We will be moving ahead with recycling, it's just a matter of setting the parameters of how we do that and settling the other issues."
Ludwig said the City's current contract with Regens expires at the end of June and they would like to have most of the big issues settled soon with the intention of beginning the program in July.
"We hope to work through the issues this summer and hopefully have most of them resolved by fall."
