The city will begin a two month pilot project testing curbside recycling pickup in two communities this spring.
The Modernization of Solid Waste Collection program would see the city providing residents with bins for both trash and recycling in the hopes of reducing the load on landfills.
Beginning in May two neighbourhoods, including one near Rockwood Park and the other near Latimore Lake, will receive two bins for curbside recycling pickup, and trash bins for solid waste.
One recycling bin will be green and can be used for plastics, metal and milk and juice jugs. The other blue bin is for paper and cardboard.
Any trash bags that don’t fit in the new garbage bins would require a $2 bag tag to be picked up by the city.
The pilot project will run into early July, at which point data will be collected and council will consider expanding the project to more parts of the city.
The Modernization of Solid Waste Collection project was pushed back last year.
At Monday evening’s Common Council meeting councillor Ray Strowbridge voiced some concerns about the program.
“I worry a lot about asking people to pay an extra $2 per bag above whatever might fit in the wastebin (provided),” Strowbridge said. “Is it going to lead to illegal dumping? Or are commercial businesses going to have their dumpsters overflowing with residents going there after hours and putting their extra garbage in there.”
Michael Hugenholtz, Commissioner of Public Works and Transportation, said the hope is the recycling bins will help divert enough waste from the trash that there won’t be a significant need for bag tags.
He cited Rothesay, Quispamsis, Moncton, and Fredericton as nearby municipalities that have implemented similar curbside recycling programs.
“We have seen many, many other municipalities go down this direction, and there are some municipalities that are achieving something like 60 per cent waste diversion,” Hugenholtz said. “We’ve got a long way to go there.”
