By ROY WOOD

The decision making around trash collection in Oliver took another surprising turn Monday as council opted to go with the automated cart system after having just rejected the idea two weeks ago.

Starting in July 2018, Oliver homeowners will be issued wheeled containers for their refuse: one for garbage; one for recycling; and one for garden waste. The carts are designed to be left near the roadway so that a truck with a lifting device can mechanically collect the contents.

 

Penticton has been using carts for about a year. Osoyoos, Keremeos and the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen decided earlier this year that they will retain the old-fashioned manual system.

At the heart of the matter for Oliver has been what Summerland might do. If council there were to decide to go with the automated system, it would make financial sense for Oliver to do the same, since the two jurisdictions would be able to share a truck.

Summerland decided Monday that it would adopt the cart system when the waste collection contract is renewed next summer.

Summerland Mayor Peter Waterman told ODN that Monday was the first time the issue has been before Summerland council. As for how Oliver got the notion that Summerland had decided against the cart system, Waterman said, “I have no idea where that came from.”

Two weeks ago, Oliver council, on the advice of Chief Administrative Officer Cathy Cowan, overturned a June decision to switch to the cart system. Citing the unacceptable financial burden for Oliver to go it alone on the carts, she got council’s approval to refocus contract talks with Waste Collections of Canada (WCC, formerly BFI Canada Inc.) toward the old-fashioned manual collection.

With Summerland using carts, a single automated truck would be able to collect four days a week there and one day in Oliver. But, without Summerland, the entire capital cost of the modern truck would have fallen to Oliver.

On that basis, council opted out of its June decision in favour of carts.

But on Monday, operations director Shawn Goodsell told an Oliver council committee that he was “thrown a curve ball at the eleventh hour” last week. He was asked at a meeting of regional operations managers if Oliver would adopt the cart system, thereby allowing the economies of scale to benefit Summerland and Oliver.

Based on this new information, Oliver council on Monday decided to return to its June position in favour of the cart system. The motion was conditional on Summerland making a similar decision, which it did.

Goodsell said that the town would be “a bit behind the eight-ball” on educating the public about the use of the carts. However, he said Penticton is willing to share its education materials and knowledge from the introduction of carts there.

Mayor Ron Hovanes, and Councillors Mo Doerr and Larry Schwartzenberger voted for the switch back to carts. Councillor Petra Veintimilla was the sole dissenter, saying she thinks it is “change for the sake of change.”

There will be no change to the cost to homeowners for waste collection. Schwartzenberger said residents might actually save money because they won’t have to buy recycling, garbage or yard-waste bags.