Councillors in Gibsons are mulling over the first set of recommendations from their zero waste committee.
The committee, made up of councillors and members of the community, was set up last December and asked to make recommendations on specific initiatives to achieve the Town’s zero waste goals, introducing an organics diversion program and possible changes to the garbage collection frequency, and how to best engage the community “prior to, during and after any changes to the overall waste management program.”
The committee’s interim recommendations were presented at the final council meeting before the August break.
They include having the Town adopt the so-called Zero Waste Hierarchy, work with the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) on public education around waste reduction, and look at “pay-as-you-throw” options for garbage collection as well as coordinating the collection contract – which expires in 2017 – with the SCRD.
Coun. Silas White chairs the committee. He said the recommendation around garbage collection is one that should be addressed soon. “[The recommendation] is to really pursue that theme of choice, and also try to make best use of that social capital that was identified too [by the committee] in terms of getting people to make the choice of selecting small bins for reduced costs and raising costs for people who don’t make that choice.”
Mayor Wayne Rowe said he was impressed by the knowledge and dedication of the community members on the committee. “Thank you to the members of our community who contributed to that. I think a lot of local governments would benefit from watching an actual exchange of ideas.”
Several councillors suggested a workshop, or special committee of the whole meeting in September to discuss the recommendations in detail. In the meantime, council voted to have staff start researching some of the issues tied to the recommendations.
