LANCASTER – South Glengarry will hold a special council meeting this afternoon (Aug. 16) to figure out how it’s going to handle its garbage and recycling in the future.
The garbage contract with HGC Management had been extended twice and is set to expire on Nov. 19. The recycling contract with Coco Group will end Nov. 30. The contract with the City of Cornwall to process recyclables expires at the end of the year.
Staff are recommending the garbage and recycling contracts be combined based on recommendations from the township’s 2012 waste recycling strategy and are looking for council’s feedback before putting out a request for proposals (RFP) to have contractors bid.
Among the recommendations are dropping the limit of eight (8) garbage bags a week to two (2) through a phased-in plan. The limit would go to four (4) in December, then to three (3) in December 2022 and finally to two (2) in July 2023. Staff feel a phased-in approach will be more palatable to residents.
As well, recycling would be stepped up to weekly collection from its current pickup of every other week.
The topic of bag tags is also up for discussion but waste management staff haven’t taken a position.
The changes are also meant to try and stretch out the space left in the township’s two dumps as much as possible.
There are five years of space left in the North Lancaster landfill (closure in December 2025) and 13 years at the Beaverbrook landfill (closure in December 2033), according to the regional waste management study.
The virtual meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.