The Town of Rocky Mountain House has discussed expanding an organic waste reduction program to commercial businesses — although there wasn’t much of an appetite among council at a Jan. 14 meeting.
This idea has been in the town’s strategic plan for the past few years, but recent discussions have highlighted some challenges.
For the past few years, the town has focused on residential waste reduction, says Laura Button, communications coordinator with the town, noting that it has not been involved in commercial waste collection since 2019. The potential expansion of organic waste services to businesses would involve the town returning to the commercial waste sector, which it previously stepped back from.
Button explained the proposal involves waste diversion for food-producing businesses, such as restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores. This could be done through an amendment to the town’s waste bylaw or the creation of a standalone food waste diversion bylaw for commercial premises.
However, she stressed that before moving forward, it’s crucial to consult with the business community to gauge interest and feasibility.
Additionally, council heard the town’s residential bins are not large enough for commercial use, and no private food waste collection services currently operate in Rocky Mountain House.
The town looked at a similar plan in place in Canmore, where business owners there can choose a private service or sign up for the town’s food waste collection service.
Council members voiced a mix of support and caution.
While acknowledging it’s a good idea overall, Councillor Ken Moesker expressed concerns about associated staffing and administration costs, that would have to be borne by rate payers.
He also points out that that businesses have not yet expressed a strong demand for the service, and that no bylaw precludes businesses from managing organic waste on their own.
Councillor Tina Hutchinson suggested overseeing the new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model for recycled materials first before launching into something new.
For residential waste, the town reports seeing a 23 per cent decrease in the amount of compostable waste headed to the landfill.
That’s according to a waste audit which found 61 per cent of the waste in 2019 was compostable, compared with 47 per cent in 2023.
In the end, council decided to table the proposal, agreeing that it was a worthwhile idea but that further study and consultation were needed before moving forward. The proposal was accepted as information.
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