Back in November 2014, CUI (Chestermere Utilities Incorporated) announced their new curbside recycling and composting program that would be coming to households in Chestermere in May 2015. When we first ran this story, announcing these long awaited programs, residents were thrilled that these services would now be available. However, during this past week, several residents took to social media in absolute rage about one aspect of CUI’s new plan.
In the November article, Donna McCallum, Operations Manager of Chestermere Utilities, had shared that “In an effort to ensure that these new programs are being followed, garbage will only be accepted if in clear bags to ensure that paper and other recyclables are not going out in the regular garbage and there will be a decrease in the number of garage you can leave at the curb. Should the garbage collector notice that there is paper products in the garbage bags, they will be left at the curb”. Clear bags.
With those two words, residents took to Facebook where they stated their outrage and disgust with the concept of putting their trash in clear bags and leaving it on the curb for all their neighbours to see. Hundreds of comments came flooding in, an online petition was then launched and Calgary media picked up the story.
One angry resident, Kylea Evans, had this to say, “I LOVE the fact that Chestermere is finally getting curb side recycling. The issue I have is the clear bag thing. I feel that it’s a violation of privacy. Why should people be able to see what’s in our garbage? We have personal hygiene products (we can’t even wrap them in paper) dog droppings, diapers etc., It’s going to be pretty gross walking around seeing all these things out on display. I understand they are worried about people not complying, but with a one bag limit a week people will have no choice but to recycle. I feel like they are treating us grown adults like school children. They aren’t trusting us to do what is right. If people in this community are treated with respect, then they will respect this program. I came from a community in Spruce Grove where we had an excellent blue bag program , very much like this , except with a 2 green bag limit and for anything over that people had to buy extra bag tags at $1 a piece. Maybe this city should implement something like that instead if they are worried about compliance, instead of treating us like untrustworthy children”.
Through the social media outrage, residents were calling for city council to get involved and even suggesting that this clear bag issue be taken before council. However, what residents might not know is that on November 3, 2014, Donna McCallum with CUI went before Chestermere City Council and informed them of the new recycling and compost programs – including the implementation of clear bags. There were no residents in council chambers that day for this presentation by CUI, despite its being mentioned on the agenda that is released to the public the week before the council meeting.
Mayor Matthews provided this statement after learning of the public anger over the clear bag use request, “We at the City are very excited to see a program that residents have been requesting for quite a while now finally come about in a cost efficient manner. We are all looking forward to our community being able to contribute to this environmental initiative and to reducing the waste going into the landfill. Chestermere Utilities has been very responsive to our questions and we would encourage anyone who has questions or concerns themselves to contact CUI directly”.
Donna McCallum provided this statement. “CUI supports initiatives to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfills. However, in addition to environmental reasons, the Curbside Compost and Recycling program is designed to adjust to imminent landfill policy changes imposed by the City of Calgary and keep costs down for residents. The City of Chestermere’s waste goes to the East Calgary Landfill, and beginning February 2016, paper and cardboard will be added to the City of Calgary’s Designated Materials List. This means that there will be an increased rate for loads containing these materials. Beginning January 2018, paper and cardboard will be banned from the landfill altogether. Likewise, in 2017 organics will be added to the Designated Materials list and in January 2019 will be banned from the landfill.
Once the bans are in place, loads going to the landfill containing any of these items will be rejected and the hauler will have to dump the load and remove the banned materials from the waste stream or find somewhere else to take it. The associated costs will be charged to CUI. We are implementing the new program now to ensure it is fully operational prior to the changes being implemented at the landfill”.
McCallum went on to explain, “The residents will have a grace period to use up the rest of their black, green, white colored garbage bags they have until February 1, 2016. Plus this will also give them time to get used to the new programs. However, we will ask residents that as they run out of the colored bags that they then purchase clear bags. Beginning February 1, 2016 residents will need to put their garbage in clear bags to ensure designated or banned materials are not present. If the collector notices designated or banned materials the bag will be tagged and left at the curb. Our focus will not be on penalizing residents. The focus will be on education. We want the residents to have the tools they need to ensure the program is a success. CUI has also been in discussion with clear bag manufactures and with the local businesses about stocking these bags on their shelves.
If residents are concerned about their personal privacy they can continue to use a garbage container. This includes the one they are currently using or they can use the one for their kitchen as it will not be much use to them in the future. The residents will receive a kitchen catcher for under or on top of their counter for their organics”.
CUI provided the following lists of what is acceptable as recyclable and composting. They are still finalizing but this is the confirmed list as of April 10, 2015 of acceptable items for composting:
. The current list of confirmed items is:
•Plate scraps
•Meat, fish, shellfish, bones
•Fruits and veggies
•Bread, noodles, rice, beans, grains
•Eggshells, dairy products
•Jams, sauces, salad dressings, cooking oil
•Kitchen oils, fats and grease
•Pastries, cookies, muffins, cakes
•Nuts, seeds, chips, popcorn
•Paper plates, napkins, paper towel
•Coffee filters, coffee grounds, tea bags
•Animal bedding
•Pet fur, hair, feathers
•Kleenex, tissue
•Cotton balls, dryer lint, popsicle sticks, toothpicks
•Dirty paper
•Kitty litter, pet waste (must be in a certified compost bag or paper bag)
•Leaf and yard waste
•Small branches less than 15cm in diameter
•Grass clippings*
*CUI encourages residents to leave grass clippings on their lawn. Grass clippings decompose quickly and return valuable nutrients to the soil. This also saves time and is less work than placing them in the green cart.
As for recycling, here is the list of confirmed acceptable items for recycling as of April 10, 2015:
•Cardboard
•Boxboard
•Mixed Paper
•Newspaper
•Plastic Bags (must be bundled into one plastic bag)
•Plastics #1 to #7
•Tin
•Bottles and cans
All of these items can be placed loose into your recycle cart.
McCallum continued, “At this time CUI will not be accepting glass. There has not been a viable market to recycle glass and many municipalities have been stockpiling it. CUI has been working with the Calgary and Region Waste Reduction Group, as well as our potential service provider to locate a sustainable market for glass. Once we have, we will accept glass in the recycling carts. At this time glass must be placed in the garbage”.
In the coming weeks, CUI will provide further information and lists of acceptable materials for each program and we will be running these in The Anchor. For more details, you can visit http://www.cuinc.ca/
