Residents who attended Monday night's budget town hall expressed shock when it was revealed the city was taking bagged leaves to the landfill.
The revelation came after a seemingly innocuous question from resident and activist Elke Blodgett, who asked what the city was doing with the bagged leaves. Guy Boston, manager of planning and engineering, replied that because of the plastic bags, he believed the leaves were being sent to the landfill.
Boston confirmed that in an interview Tuesday morning.
"So the leaves, they are going to the landfill on the basis of the bags not being recyclable," he said.
Judging from the shocked reaction of those at the town hall, it appears many assumed the leaves were being composted. Boston clarified that leaves that are placed in green organics bins are being composted, but not those bagged and left for pick-up.
The city has been touting its leaf pick-up program in the City Lights section of Saturday Gazettes, in which it asks residents with excess leaves to place them in clear plastic bags and leave them out on the curb the same day as their organics and solid waste carts are picked up.
"They might be," Mayor Nolan Crouse replied when asked if most St. Albert residents assumed the leaves were being composted. "They might think they're being debagged and dumped or spread so you might find that would be the case."
Emails have already started circulating around city hall in response to the question, according to Crouse. At the moment, staff are asking for time to analyze statistics from the waste program from the fall and winter months and are also urging council not to rush into any decision.
"Our staff is saying they are going to evaluate it and council hasn't given them any direction at this time," Crouse said.
Possible solutions
As if expecting a public outcry, the city is already circulating several ideas. According to Boston, the city did look at a contract that would de-bag the leaves for composting but at between $30,000 and $40,000, it was deemed too expensive.
"We're concerned about rising costs for one thing and then to go to debag them is an additional cost," Crouse said.
Boston also said the leaves could be composted if they were placed in biodegradable bags, but staff felt residents are still adjusting to the new waste system and another change might have been one too many.
Another solution for next fall could also entail extending the spring and summer schedule for waste pick-up, in which the green organics bins are picked up every week. As of October, the bins are only picked up every other week, along with solid waste bins.
"Organics should have continued through the fall to improve the opportunity," Crouse said.
There are currently no business cases or extra funds in the proposed 2012 budget for finding a way to compost leaves, according to Boston. While there is no plan in place, Boston said there could be by next fall to decrease the volume of leaves going to the landfill.
Residents can still take their leaves to the city compost yard on Villeneuve Road.
