Langley Township is considering expanding garbage pickup to include 5,000 rural homes that currently must transport their own trash to waste transfer stations.
As part of a general review of solid waste management, Township staff is conducting a mail-out survey of rural property owners to determine the degree of interest in “the expansion of municipal curbside garbage and organics collection to rural properties,” a memo to council from the engineering division states.
The survey, of owners of single-family detached homes in the Township who do not currently receive municipal garbage and Green Can service, can also be filled out online at speakup.tol.ca (the property number from the mailed-out form is required).
Homeowners who complete the survey by June 12 have a chance of winning a three-month “Go Active” family pass to the Township’s recreation facilities, with a $300 value.
The Township also plans two public information sessions, the first on Tuesday, June 2 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Aldergrove Athletic Park Field House at 29 Avenue and 267B Street, the second on Thursday, June 4 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the George Preston Recreation Centre at 20699 42 Ave.
The current fee for municipal residential curbside garbage and organics collection is $24.39 a month, while it now costs a minimum of $15 to truck a small residential garbage load to the Aldergrove facility.
That’s because Metro Vancouver added a $5 transaction fee to all residential garbage loads in April.
Metro also charges a higher minimum fee for small loads during peak times at the Surrey, Coquitlam, and North Shore transfer stations of $25.
The regional authority has also banned organics, including food scraps and yard trimmings, from the transfer stations and landfills.
As part of the Township solid waste review, staff have also been field-testing every-other-week garbage pickup and cart-based automated garbage and organics collection at 268 properties in urban and suburban areas.
A staff report to council with recommendations is expected in early summer.