By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
The Town of Essex will initiate a public consultation program in the fall regarding proposed service levels of refuse/garbage collection, after which administration will report on the results. Council at that time can then consider reducing collection frequency to bi-weekly for 2028.
The report would include how a service level change would impact residents, and if that is something desired to move forward with, and look at what operational and financial efficiencies could be achieved by aligning all service levels.
This path will ensure evidence-based recommendations are made, Kate Rowe, Director of Corporate Services/ Treasurer, explained to Essex Council at the March 2 meeting, where members voted to target the fall for the engagement process.
After the implementation of the organic waste diversion Green Bin program in the fall, which is organized by the County of Essex and operated by the Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA), the Town of Essex took the opportunity to review its refuse/garbage service levels.
She noted the financial impact of a proposed change in service-level could amount to an estimated annual savings of around $370,000 to move to a bi-weekly garbage collection program for residential, while leaving commercial collection as is. That is around a 28% reduction to the garbage levy for residents.
That works out to be around $50 in annual savings per household.
Currently, Essex provides weekly garbage pick-up and yard waste pick-up bi-weekly seasonally to residential properties. In addition, there is an enhanced compostainer program in Essex Centre/Ward 1. The Report to Council notes Administration is recommending public consultation include consideration of a consistent biweekly yard-waste collection schedule for all four wards, from April through November.
The idea would be to align the yard waste collection for all wards and the compostainer program in Ward One (if it is deemed still needed) with the Green Bin service.
The fall is targeted for public consultation, as it will give residents time to adjust their diversion habits and assess how the implementation of the Green Bin program is impacting those efforts, Rowe added.
Factors Essex – and other municipalities – have been faced with include rising costs of collection contracts. Reviewing garbage collection service levels ensures they continue to be aligned with sustainability practices and fiscal responsibility, Rowe relayed.
Any change to the Town of Essex’s garbage contract would require significant notifications, Rowe said. So, she used the opportunity to inform Council about the details of the service now, so there is time to think about next steps.
Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley noted as the Town looks at going to a bi-weekly garbage pick-up, structured consultation is needed. He asked what the proposed consultation would look like.
“I think it is important we ensure broad and meaningful engagement before any decisions are made,” Shepley said. “We have seen with the Green Bin roll out that when residents feel they haven’t been fully engaged it can create frustration. Even if reports [are] available at the time, I want to ensure that whatever consultation we undertake is proactive and broadly representative.”
CAO Kate Giurissevich noted this would be a file where the Town would engage a third-party to help with the consultation period. It would consist of a variety of mediums to reach as many people as possible.
Shepley suggested the Town put up a FAQ on the Town website for this project, as it will help provide answers to resident questions. He said having the FAQ up sooner would have been helpful at the County-level when working through implementing the Green Bin program.
Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais agreed public engagement on this topic would be a good thing and that social media should not be the sole-medium to collect feedback. She did, however, believe the file needs to wait until November. She believes residents need to experience the Green Bin program during the summer months first.
She wants to also find out how many homes on rural roads are using the Green Bin program, as many in those areas already compost. If they are not using the organics system, they probably will not use the yard waste program. That information could cross-relate.
As a Ward 1 resident, McGuire-Blais believes the yard waste program is great. She would be interested in hearing about moving it to Colchester or Harrow as well, but would be hesitant to move it into larger rural areas.
Council lor Kim Verbeek supported starting consultations in the fall at the earliest. The idea of the implementation of the Green Bin program and changes to recycling is to divert that type of waste from taking up space in the landfill and prolonging its useful life.
She also would like to get some data from EWSWA to help with future decision-making.
Mayor Sherry Bondy said there are numerous reasons to go to a bi-weekly garbage pick-up beyond the financial, such as reducing wear and tear on roads, reducing fossil fuel use, and encouraging residents to use their Green Bins. She would also like to see the public consultation plan beforehand.
“It is a big decision that we are going to have to step into, so I really do want to get a lot of public consultation,” Bondy said, adding she wants to take care of the regional landfill.
County Council did support Bondy’s motion at the February 4 meeting to ask EWSWA to provide available statistics to date on the effectiveness of the Green Bin organics collection program in each of the County’s seven local municipalities, including participation in the program in rural areas. Even if the uptake is low, Bondy was not sure that would be changed. To back out of rural pick-up for organics could mean urban areas pay more.