City seeking feedback on cart relocation project

By Lethbridge Herald on July 6, 2022.

Al Beeber – Lethbridge Herald

The City of Lethbridge has launched an online survey seeking public input on a cart relocation project by the Waste and Recycling Department.

The City collects garbage and recycling from about 34,000 households and it wants to hear from residents whether they have pickup in the front of their residences or in a back lane.

The survey can be found at: https://getinvolvedlethbridge.ca/cartrelocationengagement.

The survey will be open until Aug. 1 with results to be shared on Sept. 28 at the Economic Standing Policy Committee meeting in City Hall.

The City launched its relocation project in 2017 with several key neighbourhoods being identified in which it’s safer and more efficient to pick up carts from the front of homes, rather than from the rear.

Changing collection locations in those areas, says the City, saves on costs while also reducing financial liability for things such as snow and ice control in lanes and premature lane degradation.

About 3,800 households have had their carts relocated since the start of the project.

City council was told in April that several assessments and studies were done to increase efficiencies, the most recent being an operational review by KPMG that recommended continuing with the implementation of the present improvements.

Council at that meeting voted by a 5-4 margin voted to task administration with investigating the costs, timelines and implementation plans for several strategies involving waste and recycling collection.

 A report submitted by James Nichols, operations manager of the Waste and Recycling Utility at that meeting offered several potential options.

They included:

) Maintaining waste and recycling collection in lanes for all households in areas identified in the cart relocation efficiency project using a local improvement model or other utility rate funding model.

2 ) Return to back lane collection for households that were relocated as a result of the cart relocation efficiency project.

3) Continue with the relocation efficiency project in 2024 following a public engagement process.

The report said reviewing operations has allowed the WR to avoid increased in utility rates for the last 10 years except in 2019 when a $7 increase was added for curbside recycling.