Title
Curbside Blue Bag Recycling Program Options
Proposed Motions
1. That Council approve introducing free blue bag curbside recycling for Big Lake Area residents from June 1, 2025 to October 1, 2026, at a cost to the County of $36,000 per year.
2. That Council approve introducing free blue bag curbside recycling for Entwistle residents from June 1, 2025 to October 1, 2026, at a cost to the County of $14,400 per year.
3. That Council approve the closure of the Entwistle Recycling Depot as of July 1, 2025.
Body
Administration Recommendation
Given that Wabamun residents will receive free blue bag curbside recycling service as of April 1, 2025 under Phase I of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Program, Administration supports the Proposed Motions to provide that same level of service to the residents in Big Lake and Entwistle through the support of revenues provided to Parkland County through the Provincial EPR program.
Purpose
Due to the new provincial EPR Program funding recycling programs in Alberta municipalities, Parkland County will receive $24,391 per month from April 1, 2025, to October 1, 2026, from Circular Materials. This revenue will compensate the County for managing existing residential recycling at the County's waste transfer stations. Administration proposes using this additional revenue to subsidize free blue bag curbside recycling in the Big Lake residential area and the Hamlet of Entwistle until Phase 2 of the EPR program starts on October 1, 2026, when the entire costs of these services will be taken over by Circular Materials.
Summary
The Alberta Government introduced the EPR Program in November 2022, which is an environmental/economic policy approach in which producers of products and packaging bear responsibility for ensuring those products and packages are properly managed at the end of their life cycle. Oversight of the program will be conducted by the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA), who have chosen Circular Materials, a national not-for-profit producer responsibility organization (PRO) created and governed by producers, to implement this program throughout municipalities in Alberta.
Currently, as part of the Phase 1 EPR Program, the Hamlet of Wabamun will be receiving free bi-weekly blue bag curbside collection from Circular Materials beginning April 1, 2025.
Also on April 1, 2025, the County will be introducing a new bi-weekly blue bag curbside collection service in the Big Lake residential area. This service will be paid by residents receiving this service. This service will not be taken over by Circular Materials on April 1, 2025 because this service was not in place in time for the cut-off for Phase 1 of the EPR Program. Also, currently there is no blue bag curbside collection program in the Hamlet of Entwistle.
Phase 2 of the EPR Program will start on October 1, 2026. If any new blue bag curbside collection services are in place and running prior to October 1, 2026, these services will be eligible to join the program and Circular Materials would take over these services at their cost. Administration believes that the Big Lake blue bag curbside program would be eligible for Phase 2 and if a blue bag curbside collection service was introduced into Entwistle in 2025, it would also be eligible for Phase 2.
As part of the Phase 1 EPR Program, Circular Materials will be paying the County $24,391 per month to continue operating all of the County's transfer station recycling operations. The contract allows for extensions for up to three (3), one (1) year periods. Administration believes that rather than only having Wabamun residents receiving blue bag curbside recycling collection for free, there is an opportunity to use this increased revenue from Circular Materials to subsidize blue bag curbside collection services in both the Big Lake residential area and the Hamlet of Entwistle until Circular Materials takes over these services in Phase 2 of the EPR Program on October 1, 2026.
If blue bag curbside collection is introduced in the Hamlet of Entwistle, Administration believes that there would be no further need for the existing Recycling Depot in Entwistle and therefore recommends that the Depot be closed as of July 1, 2025. Residents would have no need to use the Depot if they are receiving blue bag curbside collection and those residents who live just outside of Entwistle would have to take their recycling with them when going to the Moon Lake Transfer Station, (5 minute drive south of Entwistle), to dispose of their garbage, similar to what is required of other rural residents at the other transfer stations throughout the County. The Depot currently costs the County approximately $20,500 annually including costs incurred for contamination of recyclables with garbage plus additional staff time to clean this site up weekly. Closing the existing Recycling Depot would reduce our EPR Revenue from Circular Materials but this loss would be offset by the savings from no longer having to operate and maintain the site.
Historical Information:
RFD 24-203 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for County Recycling Material Management
Strategic Plan/Policy/Legal/Staff Implications:
Responsible Leadership - To strive for organizational excellence in delivering County services and programs to residents, businesses, and community groups
Complete Communities - We recognize the diversity of Parkland County’s communities, while fostering a united and shared vision for Parkland as a whole.
Financial Impact:
Blue bag service for Big Lake residential area $36,000/yr
Blue bag service for Hamlet of Entwistle $14,400/yr