NORD backs curbside garbage initiative & Waste program makes sense

By JENNIFER DYCKMorning Star StaffJul 07 2006 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
The first sign of support has been sounded to get all North Okanagan residents on universal garbage pick-up. The North Okanagan Regional District is supporting an initiative to involve areas BX-Swan Lake, BX-Silver Star, rural Lumby, Enderby, Spallumcheen and Coldstream on weekly curbside garbage collection. The Ad Hoc Solid Waste Planning Committee made the recommendation for all residents, excluding greater than four-plex dwellings in electoral areas B, C, D and F, where there is currently, or will be, blue bag curbside collection services with a two-bag limit to start no sooner than September 2007. Spallumcheen and Coldstream are also being invited to participate. “To go to a universal pick up, we would then be encouraging the blue bag pick up,” said Lorna Bissell, Spallumcheen director who serves on the Ad Hoc committee. “It’s a method to improve our recycling and lessen our garbage.” NORD could have forced involvement but will have participants take the option back to the public. “I don’t think it’s wise to stuff it down their throat,” said rural Enderby director Herman Halvorson. Stan Field, NORD chairman and BX-Silver Star director, agreed that if this is going to move forward there must be public meetings. But Cliff Kanester, BX-Swan Lake director, questioned how effective the initiative would be for all. “What advantage is there to this scheme? It makes everybody pay even though they don’t generate garbage.” Since a limit on garbage was made in Lumby several years ago, Mayor Eric Foster said it has only had positive effects. “Our landfill went down 20 per cent in the first year. “So people do get into the system if it’s forced on them.” Coldstream Coun. Bill Firman agreed with the idea that, with education, it could help residents like himself get into recycling. “I don’t even know what the blue bag program is,” said Firman, who will recommend the initiative to his council. Bissell also pointed to the benefit a universal program would have in an area such as Coldstream, where three companies perform garbage collection. Going universal would reduce that traffic and wear on roads, she said. And in areas where residents routinely take their own garbage to the landfill, Bissell adds this would reduce traffic and garbage leading up to the refuse station. Foster adds: “In 10 to 15 years time the decisions we make now will mean a huge expense to our children and us.”
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JULY 7 MORINGSTAR EDITORIAL Waste program makes sense
Once again North Okanagan residents have a shot at implementing a universal garbage collection program. The RegionalDistrict is supporting the Ad Hoc Solid Waste Planning Committee’s recommendation for this concept, and is heading to the public for approval. The plan is to get all areas on universal collection and with a review, to limit households to a one bag/can limit to improve the blue bag (recycling) program numbers. Now last time this idea came up, in 2003, public support was lacking. A prime reason was a local disposal company was concerned about its livelihood if it didn’t get the bid on the job. The company’s customers spoke up and the plan was axed. Now there has apparently been renewed interest in a universal program. It will be interesting to see if this time span has created more environmentally-friendly citizens wanting to get on board or if interest is still lacking in such a program. Sure this could have an effect on disposal businesses that don’t get the contract, which is unfortunate for these local companies. But the idea is to eliminate having two or three trucks running around a neighbourhood several days a week. Instead, only one truck is picking up one day a week in each neighbourhood.