This report details the changes to the Bylaw resulting from the following Council decisions:
· CR21-164 Food and Yard Waste Service; and
· CR22-119 Curbside Waste Services Funding Policy
The reports resolved:
· To implement a curbside food and yard waste service for residential properties that:
a. Collects food (scrape the plate) and yard waste material at the curb.
b. Allows users to place waste in compostable bags.
· To implement a Curbside Waste Services Fee based on the residents’ chosen garbage cart: 240-litre garbage cart or a 360-litre garbage cart. The fee is inclusive of costs for all three curbside residential waste services. The fee covers the costs associated with the collection and processing for recycling, food and yard waste, and garbage services.
Financial Impact
The cost of the food and yard waste service is expected to cost $6.3 million per year, with a corresponding $1.5 million per year reduction in the cost of garbage collection. This is due to the reduced collection frequency of garbage collection to bi-weekly year-round.
Starting January 1, 2024, all curbside waste services will be funded by the user fee, removing approximately $8.9 million from taxes as Council approved in CR22-119. The fee will be based on the resident’s chosen garbage cart size 240-litre ($193.45/year) or 360-litre ($284.70/year) cart which will include the cost of collection and processing for recycling, food and yard waste, and garbage.
Policy/Strategic Impact
Adding requirements to the Bylaw to divert organic (food and yard waste) from the landfill aligns with the Environmental Sustainability Strategic Priority to achieve net-zero emissions and become 100 per cent renewable by 2050. It also aligns with the goals outlined in Waste Plan Regina and Council’s approved target to divert 65 per cent of residential waste from the landfill.
The recommendations in this report facilitate the implementation of the Energy and Sustainability Framework (ESF). The proposed bylaw amendments support the following actions outlined in the ESF:
· Action 8.2 - Recycling program: Increase recycling rates to meet 65 per cent waste diversion by 2025.
· Action 8.3 - Organic compost program: 95 per cent of capture of organics to compost by 2025.
Environmental impacts
Introducing a mandatory service for the separate collection of food and yard waste will divert an estimated 24,000 tonnes of organic material from the landfill and will eliminate an average of 10,820 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year over the first 10 years. The implementation of user fees can increase diversion by approximately 16 per cent, which could eliminate an additional 2,103 tonnes of greenhouse gases. The savings will be offset by 463 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year due to the additional collection for the food and yard waste service.
Weekly curbside food and yard waste collection can also reduce the impact on wastewater infrastructure by providing alternative disposal options for fats, oils, grease, and food waste that is commonly, but improperly, disposed of through the sewer system.
Legal Impact
The Bylaw will require amendments to implement the recommendations outlined in this report as well as several housekeeping changes to update the Bylaw to current practices.
The proposed amendments to the Bylaw are outlined in Appendix A of this report.
The other option is to not update the Bylaw to reflect Council’s decisions. Not updating the Bylaw would mean the City does not have the ability to enforce the use of the food and yard waste cart or implement the new funding policy. The Bylaw changes are required to implement the decisions of Council.
Administration has developed a comprehensive communication strategy to provide public awareness and education of the new food and yard waste service beginning on September 4, 2023. The phased communication plan will be implemented starting in June 2023 with a mix of public outreach initiatives, along with paid and non-paid media tactics. Communication material and campaigns will focus on encouraging residents to divert waste from the landfill. Feedback from the Food and Yard Waste Service Pilot will be used to strengthen communication material and messaging for the city-wide rollout including more emphasis on what is acceptable in the green cart.
This summer, Administration will also start educating residents about the Curbside Waste Funding Policy which comes into effect on January 1, 2024. Communication efforts will focus on educating residents on how they will pay for their residential waste collection services. Actions will be clearly communicated to residents on when, and how, households will need to select their brown cart size prior to the new funding policy implementation date. Messaging will also be focused on promoting the Waste Affordability Program to support low-income households with a senior or person living with a disability.
Administration will develop a communications strategy to inform and educate residents and owners of non-designated residential properties about the Bylaw amendments and the resulting requirements for waste diversion.
The service and funding changes require amendments to the Bylaw because of Council’s approval of the following reports: CR21-164 Food and Yard Waste Service and CR22-119 Curbside Waste Services Funding Policy.
The amendments apply to all residential waste services for both designated properties (City-serviced properties) and to non-designated properties providing residential waste services, typically to multi-family properties or condominiums.
The City is implementing the curbside food and yard waste service similar to the recycling program and requires all privately provided residential collection programs to provide the same waste services to their residents. To date, non-designated properties servicing residential properties have been required to provide recycling and garbage services. They will also be required to provide a food and yard waste service to their residents as of July 1, 2024.
The Bylaw will be amended to include the following provisions:
Addition of Food and Yard Waste Service
Approval to add a curbside food and yard waste service requires adding collection of food and yard waste material to the Bylaw, as well as updating the list of accepted items that go into each waste stream. The details of each waste stream are outlined in Appendix A, Schedule A.
With the addition of the food and yard waste cart, a number of bylaw sections related to cart requirements that apply to the garbage and recycling carts will be expanded to include the food and yard waste cart, such as set-out instructions, storage requirements, cleanliness stipulations and all other cart maintenance and management items.
Non-designated residential properties will be required to collect three waste streams: recycling, food and yard waste, and garbage by July 1, 2024. Non-designated properties will need to continue to file waste management plans with the City identifying the collection and processing details and for residential non-designated properties, these plans will also need to include details for all three streams. Residential non-designated property owners will be required to post clear signage on or near each waste container and provide education materials to on-site staff and tenants to ensure proper waste disposal.
Food and yard waste is required to be processed at an appropriate food and yard waste disposal site and does not include a landfill. This requirement will be required for both designated and residential non-designated properties.
Designated properties for residential use will be required to adhere to the new Bylaw amendments related to the food and yard waste program on July 1, 2023.
Non-designated properties for residential use will be required to adhere to the new Bylaw amendments related to the food and yard waste program on July 1, 2024.
Fee Changes
The current recycling fee will be maintained until December 31, 2023. Starting January 1, 2024, the new curbside waste services fee will come into effect as outlined in Appendix A, Schedule D and as previously approved by City Council in CR22-119.
The proposed Bylaw amendments will update or remove various definitions to add the food and yard waste service and to remove manual waste collection from the Bylaw as outlined in Appendix A.
On November 24, 2021, Council approved CR21-164 Food & Yard Waste Service.
On October 26, 2022, Council approved CR22-119 Curbside Waste Service Funding Policy.
Respectfully Submitted, Respectfully Submitted,
Janet Aird Kurtis Doney
A/Director A/Executive Director
Water, Waste & Environment Citizen Services