Residents of Halfmoon Bay and Roberts Creek could face an alternative approval process (AAP) in January to give permission to the Sunshine Coast Regional District to set up a new curbside recycling service.
The bylaw governing the service would define the service itself, the participating areas, how the service would be delivered, what the cost would be and how it would be funded.
If the AAP passes, it is expected the service would be initiated in the first half of 2021.
While curbside recycling is anticipated for all rural areas, only Areas B and D qualify for financial incentives through Recycle BC and so need a separate service.
During an afternoon corporate committee meeting on Sept. 19, Roberts Creek director Andreas Tize and Halfmoon Bay director Lori Pratt voted to move ahead with the process, choosing manual collection since it’s cheaper and could lead to better landfill diversion rates than semi-automated pickup.
Manual would mean residents supply their own recycling bin.
At the same meeting, directors voted unanimously to increase the budget for waste collection by $385,900 to fund the anticipated weekly curbside collection of food waste in Electoral Areas B, D, E and F. Directors had previously approved going ahead with an RFP for curbside food waste collection but hadn’t yet approved it as a budget item.
To offset costs of the new program, garbage collection would be reduced to a biweekly schedule. The service is expected to take effect mid-2020.
They also voted to move ahead with setting up three drop-off locations for food waste, one in Pender Harbour, one in the mid-coast region and another in the south. Residents and small businesses could drop off a maximum of 50 litres of food waste without a tipping fee. The service would be funded by taxation instead of tipping fees.
The program is intended to be put in effect in advance of an upcoming ban on food waste at the Sechelt landfill, the date for which will be determined once the food waste drop-off and curbside collection programs start.
