Rimbey residents are still not happy about the change regarding yard waste, but town council appears to be trying to come up with a compromise that will be cost effective and still provide service to town residents.
Acting CAO Donna Tona said negotiations are ongoing with the Town of Ponoka to accept the town of Rimbey’s grass clippings for their compost.
Tona said this transaction would result in much cheaper hauling costs than hauling the yard waste to Penhold.
“If we can come to a satisfactory agreement the bin could stay at the recycle station longer, if not through the entire summer,” she said.
Council decided earlier that the grass clippings would no longer be picked up and residents were asked to grasscylce their lawn clippings and to refrain from putting them in th garbage.
They were told grass clippings will not be picked up by the contractor nor will they be accepted at the recycle facility, although tree clippings and dry yard waste can be dropped off there all summer and will be burned in the approved pits.
Residents did not buy into the concept readily, and concerns were voiced not only to council, but to each other.
Driving to the waste transfer site, being physically able to put the recycle bags in the bin headed the list of concerns.
Residents also remain somewhat dubious about composting, noting setting up a compost pile in their yard will attract flies and mice.
However, director Rick Schmidt said grasscycling and composting is good for the environment.
“It will provide a greener footprint for our community and lessen the carbon imprint,” he said.
He also noted residents who take their grass clippings to the recycle station need to be aware that the bin has a door on the back making it relatively easy to dispose of the bags of grass clippings.
“You can walk right into it.”
He said if the bin is full and it is impossible to use the back door, residents should ask the recycle attendant to help them with the bags.
The recycle facility is open 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
“It is open the same hours as the landfill out at Bluffton,” he said.
Schmidt and Tona said the bin at the recycle centre is for residential use only and commercial vendors are to find their own method of disposing of yard waste.
A suggestion made by Gayle Rondeel at an open mike session at a previous council meeting to haul the grass clippings out to the airport is not feasible, said Tona.
“The airport falls under federal regulations and Transport Canada rules,” she said.
Residents who have health, mobility or disability challenges can phone the town to register to have their yard waste picked up dur- ing fall and spring cleanup, Tona said.
“This service would entitle residents to register in confidence and the town would provide them with a special tag identifying the fact they have registered to have their yard waste picked up and placed in the bins.”
The town will use criteria established by Rimbey FCSS to determine if an individual qualifies for town pick up.
Tona said no one has called for the service as of yet. Residents are also being encouraged to help their neighbour if they can’t move their spring yard waste.
The recycle facility accepts residential cardboard, plastics, tin and paper products. Clean wood less than six feet in length and one foot in diameter and tagged de-commissioned fridges arealso accepted.
Tona said building a facility for yard waste would be very cost prohibitive.
“We have many others things to catch up on such as repairs to our streets and sidewalks, light poles and the aging water reservoir.”