Council (District of Summerland) said okay this week for staff to negotiate a contract with Waste Connections of Canada for the curbside collection of garbage, recyclables, compostable materials and larger items.

But with a twist.

The negotiations will be based on the current system of customer-supplied containers at an estimated annual cost of $397,714.

The contract will run for seven years with the potential of a one-year extension beginning July 1, 2018.

The lag time of one year will allow sufficient time to acquire new equipment such as specialized trucks.

An automated system using contractor supplied carts would increase the annual cost of service by just over $83,000 as estimated by Waste Connections.

The carts last about 10 years and come in various sizes which could affect the frequency of collection Johnson explained.

Penticton said yes – for carts

Oliver said yes – for automated pickup

Osoyoos is still making up its mind

Keremeos and all rural areas in the RDOS said NO to automated pickup

Credits: Files from Penticton Herald