To say the city’s roll-out of its new compost and recycling program has been seamless would be, at best, generous.
Several homes in Chilliwack were still without the proper containers on Friday, despite a May 1 start date.
And the company charged with the responsibility of picking up the new green bins, still lacks the proper equipment to lift the larger containers.
The public, meanwhile, remains confused about what goes where, and when anything goes anywhere.
City officials are calling for patience.
But understandably, that patience is wearing a little thin.
Garbage collection is one of those issues the public takes personally. People might complain about transit and traffic planning, but fail to pick up their garbage and city hall will hear about it.
To be fair, the City’s plan to revamp its waste and recycling program is ambitious. It requires a change in behaviour matched by an entirely new operational approach to handling our refuse.
The objectives are good: Removing organics from the waste stream not only lengthens the life of our landfill, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and creates compost – a useful byproduct. The benefits of recycling, meanwhile, are obvious.
True, the program’s execution needs some work. Despite an aggressive public information campaign, complete with a smartphone app, confusion and frustration remains.
But sometimes change is messy. And throwing out the good with the bad is not a productive solution.
Greg Knill, Chilliwack Progress
