RDCK Areas F and H have an upcoming referendum in May on curbside collection services, which includes a three-stream pickup of garbage, food waste and recycling. When I first heard about these services, I did a simple calculation and determined that currently my household pays about $30 a year for trips to the dump.
Otherwise, we compost all our food waste and take recyclables to the depot once a month. While the recycling is “free” at the depot, of course there are costs for this service. So I would have to add something to my calculation for this service. The more I thought about what is being offered, the more I supported it. Curbside pickup of garbage and recycling saves me taking trips to town. And there may be a time in the future when we no longer physically manage our own compost, and would be grateful for that pick-up as well.
I’m voting for this service so all residents have a convenient way to do their part in keeping food waste out of landfills, which will reduce methane emissions. Recycling also reduces landfilled waste. We are privileged to have an affluent consumer economy here, but also a responsibility to manage it properly.
I encourage residents to consider voting for this service, regardless of how much or little you may use it. Residents generally support our library, schools, hospital, etc., not because we necessarily use each of these, but because these are societal benefits. Please join me in the RDCK’s zero-waste effort.
More information on the service proposal can be found at engage.rdck.ca. Public information sessions are April 23 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the North Shore Hall and April 25 6-7:30 p.m. online at rdck.ca/fhcurbside to register.
Lisa Bramson
North Shore Area F