A change to waste collection schedules is being made to make collection faster and easier in Okotoks.
Starting in May, garbage will be picked up once every two weeks, and with the switch to biweekly collection comes a change in pick-up days.
Organics and recycling will be picked up on a different day than garbage, rather than all three carts being collected on the same day.
During a council meeting on March 10, Town staff said the change will increase affordability, sustainability and efficiency.
Changing collection days will help manage future growth, reduce congestion on roads and leave more room for cart spacing, waste solutions manager Jason London said.
“It's a difficult job for both our drivers and contractors out on the roads throughout the year, dealing with traffic and congestion,” London said.
“When you have proper cart spacing and fewer carts on the road at a time, collection happens faster and easier."
Having separate pick up days means fewer trucks on the road and less congestion, especially in cul-de-sacs, laneways and townhome complexes, the Town said.
“Now when our garbage trucks go out, there are just garbage carts on the roads, and for our contractor, there are only two carts on the road,” he said.
London said the change makes sense in the context of planning for growth in Okotoks.
Other communities in Alberta follow a similar procedure, with at least one municipality collecting waste on three different days during the week, he said.
“It is becoming more of a standard as communities recognize the efficiencies to be had,” he said.
Recycling and organics collection will continue on a weekly basis from April to October.
Information about waste collection and schedules is available at okotoks.ca/waste-services.
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Create a bylaw that forbid vehicles parking on roads during the one day of garbage collection for that area from 10AM to 5PM. Reducing 1 garbage bin doesn’t eliminate the risk of congestion.
Ticket the cars that don’t comply.
The bins don’t create congestion, all the parked cars on road do.
So now garbage cans will be on the street 2 days in a row now? Not much sense there
No kidding.
Its always one guy who thinks he knows better who ruins it for the rest of us. The logic here does not make any sense.