Greenwood city council has passed a bylaw to hand garbage collection onto the regional district, officially recognizing the handover of services that took effect at the start of the new year.
Council voted last June to ask the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) to add garbage pick-ups to its recycling program, which was already servicing Greenwood.
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RDKB trucks started weekly curbside trash pick-ups at 375 Greenwood homes Tuesday, Jan. 4, a change from the city’s former pick-ups on Fridays. The district meanwhile started taking Greenwood’s recycling, compost and trash every second Tuesday, according to Mayor Barry Noll.
Noll has since fielded a few complaints from perturbed residents, mostly about the schedule change. The change had been proposed at the city and regional district levels dating back years, Noll said.
The mayor recapped his and council’s concerns that the city’s garbage program wasn’t self-funding. The city in 2021 spent around $30,000 in repairs and upgrades to its garbage truck, which Noll said will be put to other uses. The change also frees up at least five hours in staff time every week, he said.
But the new system could cost more to city households. Where annual garbage rates once cost $100, people in Greenwood now have to buy a $3 sticker for every full garbage can they put out.
Each sticker will cover any number of bags per trash can, provided the load weighs less than 23 kilograms (50 pounds), according to RDKB Corporate Officer Anitra Winje.
That works out to $156 per year for residents whose trash can hits the curb every Tuesday, with further costs to those putting out two or more cans. Noll said he hoped this would encourage people to recycle more and waste less.
Garbage stickers are available for sale at city hall at 202 South Government St. and at local businesses, according to Noll.
The RDKB disposes of Greenwood’s trash at the Grand Forks Regional Landfill in rural Grand Forks. Greenwood residents don’t need to buy stickers for their recycling or compost, according to Noll and Winje.
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laurie.tritschler@boundarycreektimes.com
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