A proposal to relocate Moose Jaw’s north recycling bins due to the complaints of nearby residents was defeated by the executive committee during a meeting late on Tuesday evening.
The bins are currently located in the Sobeys parking lot. The primary concerns for the committee with the proposal were the cost of the relocation and the lack of conclusive proof that the recycling bins were the cause of blowing garbage in the area.
“How can you prove that the paper is coming from the recycling bins? ... I use those bins at Sobeys ... I have never seen it look untidy,” said Coun. Dawn Luhning. “I’m not going to vote in favour of spending $100,000 in favour of relocating those bins anywhere.”
“I’m sorry. I run up there probably three quarters of the year, and there’s garbage flying around up there all the time. It’s not just because we relocated the recycle bins out there,” said Coun. Dawn Luhning. “I think that the Sobeys location is a good location and I’ll leave it at that for now.”
Coun. Patrick Boyle also raised the concern of the plans ultimately being irrelevant in the light of the pending Multi-Material Recycling Program being introduced by the provincial government.
“No matter where you put it, the wind in Saskatchewan blows everywhere. Someone, somewhere will always have a complaint about it,” said Boyle. “Until we know more about this (provincial) program and the costs involved, it wouldn’t be a really smart move right now.”
Coun. Candis Kirkpatrick echoed Boyle’s statement.
“With everything that’s been happening, I don’t think it would be wise for us to spend any money (to relocate the bins),” added Kirkpatrick. “I can’t see us spending anything because we don’t know what’s going to happen. What we do know is that there’s going to be a change in the way recycling is going to be done in the city.”
Coun. Heather Eby moved to table the motion until the committee had more information about the province’s designs with it’s MMRP program and that the committee would communicate the fact that the motion had been tabled to the residents concerned.
The motion was carried.
