City of Cranbrook council directed city staff May 11 to contact the Regional District of the East Kootenay (RDEK) to initiate the removal of the yellow bin program from the Memorial Arena.

In December 2019, the RDEK was successful in securing funding and opened the new recycling depot at the Cranbrook Transfer Station. The Memorial site has remained open; however the city reports it is experiencing more challenges at the site.

There has been a significant increase in messy conditions at the site as some users continue to stack recycling and garbage beside the bins.

The city noted it costs $321/tonne for all the material collected under the yellow bin program, whereas the RDEK receives $120/tonne for the material it collects at the transfer station, resulting in an combined savings of $441/tonne.

It is estimated that approximately 200 tonnes pass through the Memorial site annually. This would equate to approximately $64,000 in yellow bin costs, and a lost revenue cost of $24,000 if that material had been diverted to the new transfer site. Overall it would result in a saving of $88,000 annually, a cost shared by the taxpayers in the RDEK’s Central subregion.

“Although there are increased staffing costs to operate the new transfer station location, we are paying those regardless of whether or not we continue to operate the Memorial site,” noted a city Community Services report to council.

Lead image: The yellow bins are located in the bottom right of the above map of the Memorial Arena area. Map courtesy City of Cranbrook

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