With Invermere’s new curbside organics collection service coming to the community next month, the district council is making sure its bureaucratic ducks are in a row.
On Tuesday night, Invermere council gave the first three readings to its updated Waste Management Bylaw, which now includes rules, pricing and regulations around the new curbside organics program.
Residents began receiving their curbside and kitchen bins this week, along with a guide on what can be put out for collection and when it will be taken.
Once collection begins, food waste, pizza boxes, kitty litter, wooden cutlery and other items will be taken to a newly constructed composting facility rather than a landfill.
“The regional district has set up an organics program and we have an organics site in Invermere, near our lagoons. To go along with that, we are going to go along with curbside collection,” said Mayor Al Miller.
The District initially budgeted up to $310,000 for 1,760 120-litre curbside bins and 1,760 eight-litre kitchen catcher bins.
Miller says the district had to make special considerations when choosing the curbside carts.
“The bins have a fairly sturdy build to them with a chunk of steel around the top where the fastening devices are,” said Miller.
“If something comes along and knocks a bin over to try getting into it, the lid will not easily open. They’re fairly impact-proof, but they’re not bear-proof. We would have to spend a lot more money for that option, but they are at least bear-resistant.”
Miller says curbside organic collection will cut down on waste going to the landfill.
“Once everyone is fully up to speed and working diligently with it, garbage pickup will be down to once every two weeks,” said Miller.
“It should work pretty well and this will keep the landfill operational for a few extra years.”
Weekly garbage collection costs $15.10 per month per property, with another $6.82 per month for bi-weekly recycling. Once the weekly curbside organics collection program begins on June 1, it will add a further $6.50 to that, totalling $28.42 per property per month.
The District says garbage removal will be reduced to bi-weekly collection in September, cutting down the cost to $7.55 per month, but organics collection costs will increase to $11.50.
In September, curbside waste collection will cost residents $25.87 per month starting on September 1, a $2.55 decrease from the price in June to August.
Invermere’s first curbside organics collection day is scheduled for June 2, 2025.
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