I read with interest the discussion from Big Lakes County Sept. 15, 2023 council meeting around household waste roundup costs, and whether to continue paying for household waste roundups from smaller communities around the county.
The County is doing themselves a favour by providing household waste roundups, including appliances and larger items in smaller communities. You do not want people throwing their waste into the bush or behind their place if they can’t transport it, or can’t afford fees to do so. Litter and illegal dumping are a much worse issue, as the items can break down in the environment (microplastics), leak (oil, coolant, and Freon), and create unsightly and dangerous problems.
As the owner of the High Prairie and District Regional Landfill, I hope you are also providing for Household Hazardous Waste roundups for smaller communities. The more hazardous products in a landfill, the more dangerous it is to manage now, and into the future. Just like making coffee, when water passes through the landfill, it picks everything up that’s in there, and becomes ‘leachate’. Big Lakes County is responsible for the landfill, the leachate, and making sure it is all contained as per design. The more hazardous the leachate, the more difficult it is to dispose of; it could even become hazardous waste itself.
In a couple of years (after April 1, 2025), when extended producer responsibility comes into play for Alberta, hazardous waste and recycling round-ups will be paid for by the producers and manufacturers of the hazardous products. They will only pay up to the level you had in November of 2022 and continue to have, so I encourage you to keep providing waste roundups and hazardous waste roundups for your smaller communities.
Jule Asterisk,
Secretary,
Regional
Environmental
Action Committee