Town to create curbside garbage collection program

By Rob Vogt
The Town of Claresholm has taken the first step in creating a curbside garbage pick-up program.
At its Oct. 10 meeting, town council passed first reading to a new solid waste management bylaw.
Abe Tinney, the town’s chief administrative officer, explained the town’s garbage truck and a lot of commercial garbage bins have reached their end of life.
A lot of discussion has been held at the town’s audit and finance committee about possible options.
Those options are:
• No change – Continue with a rear-load truck and hand collection of garbage, meaning the purchase of a new rear-load truck.
• Curbside automated pickup – Contract out collection of both residential, in totes, and commercial, in bins. No truck purchase would be required.
• Curbside automated pickup – Contract out only one of the services, residential or commercial collection. The type of truck would depend on which service is contracted out.
• Curbside automated pickup – All service delivery is kept internal, with the purchase of a new front load garbage truck with Curroto-Can.
At the most recent audit and finance committee meeting on April 18, the committee approved moving forward with a curbside collection program, keeping the services internal, and the purchase of a front-load garbage truck with Curroto-Can. This can is front mounted with tote bins emptied into it, and the can then is emptied into the back of the garbage truck.
Tinney said residents would receive bins very similar to the blue recycling bins, and the curbside garbage pick-up will follow the same process as recycling which is already automated.
It was also noted the purchase of a new front-load truck with Curroto-Can was approved in the town’s 2023 capital budget.
With a significant change in service, a new bylaw is needed to govern the service.
Tinney said much of the bylaw is the same, but rates have changed.
The residential rate will increase by $1 per month, from $12.50 to $13.50.
Bin rental will decrease $5, from $40 to $35.
Commercial bin service, per weekly pickup, will increase $6.50, from $28.50 to $35.
Commercial tote or shared bin service will decrease $4.50, from $28.50 to $24.
Tinney pointed out that when the town went to replace the end-of-life garbage truck, the town did not have enough funding, because the rates did not generate enough revenue to cover replacement costs.
Now a reserve will be built up over time to pay for the replacement of the next truck.
Tinney also noted the new program will require one less person to operate, who then can be deployed elsewhere.
Council then passed first reading of a new solid waste management bylaw.