Fate of curbside recycling in the Fundy region still unclear

The Fundy Regional Service Commissionvoted Tuesdayon the future of curbsiderecycling in Saint John-area communities and they voted down both options they were presented with.

The options were whether to keep the statusquo, which includes community recycling depots and home compost pickup, at a cost of $8.1 million or spend an extra $1 million and add curbside collection for cardboard, metal and plastic.

In the end, both options were voted down with neither one receivingthe required two thirds supportfrom the nine voting commission members.

Saint John Mayor Mel Nortonvotedin favour of a new recycling plan, although he said that approval will be conditional.

"Our message will be, we're willing to do option three provided that when you bring the cost back next year we see those costs mitigated by a regional co-operation effort, he said.

Jack Keir is Service Commission Executive Director and says in the end a motion passed to do a detailed cost study of curbside pick-up, despite more than a year spent by a committee studying just that.

"So we're basically at a standstill, but I'm OKwith that. That's basically democracy at work," he said.

Norton said the curbside recycling program would cost the city an additional $500,000 a year.

He said the actual cost for the recycling initiative will have to be much lower than that if Saint John is actually going to participate.

"The estimate that was provided was about $500,000 and that the way it stands right now is too much money for the city of Saint John, he said.

If curbside recycling is rejected, the commission says between $4 million and $6 million will have to be spent to replace the community depots so theprogram can be continued for the next 15 years.

Regional co-operation needed

Saint Johns mayor said the cost of the recycling program can be lowered for his city and all the other communities if they co-operate in the curbside recycling plan.

However, it is unclear how many other communities will be willing to participate in the program in order to spread out the costs.

Quispamsis, which is the second largest community in the region, has already voted against regional participation in the program.

Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll said his concern is about potential hidden costs of moving to the new recycling initiative.

The Fundy Regional Service Commission estimated it would cost Quispamsisabout $60,000 a year to move from existing community blue bin drop-off depots to full curbside recycling pick-up.

Only Rothesay is known to be firmly on-side with the curbside recycling program.

Norton calls the current curbside recycling initiative "generational, meaning the opportunity won't come around again for another 15 years.