TAMRMS#: B06
5.2
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Take It or Leave It Facility
Presented by: Louise Stewart, Senior Manager, Public Operations and John Potter, Manager Transportation Operations and Waste Management, Public Operations
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RECOMMENDED MOTION(S)
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That the agenda report entitled “Take It or Leave It Facility” dated April 9, 2024 be received as information.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to present information regarding a motion for which Councillor Hughes gave notice on June 6, 2023 and which Council passed on July 4, 2023.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Waste diversion is an important goal for many municipalities within the region. The City of St. Albert is committed to helping our residents divert waste from the landfill through many different avenues such as our large item drop off/pick up events, acceptance of textile donations at the Mike Mitchell Recycling Depot, and through the encouragement of reuse through the waste team’s presence at neighbourhood block parties and many local events.
Strathcona County and the City of Edmonton have created facilities to accept public donations of items which facilitates upcycling within the community and decreasing material going to landfill. These items are intended to be items around the home that still have some life in them but are not suitable for recycling or charity.
Hodgepodge Lodge (HPL), located at the Broadview Enviroservice Station in Strathcona County, began in 2018 and has evolved to its current state which includes a staffed facility (1,500sq. ft), secure site, and parking. Consultation with Strathcona County staff indicates that the evolution utilized leftover funding from larger capital projects and donated materials from the community. The intent of Strathcona’s facility is that it be for ‘odds and ends that really don’t have a home’. The City of Edmonton has a large centrally located Reuse Center and drop off facilities at 4 Ecostations.
Both the Edmonton and Strathcona County facilities are open Wednesday to Sunday, rely primarily on volunteer help to run (currently 40 volunteers at HPL), and at least one full time municipal staff present at all times the facility is open to organize, train, support volunteers, deal with the public and resolve concerns.
The Strathcona County facility receives high usage and the facility is currently at capacity in its current configuration.
In order to provide an initial cost estimate, a complete costing of the Hodge Podge Lodge in its current form was used as a baseline. The following are the costs in 2024 dollars:
• Facility - 1,500 sq ft, fenced outdoor space, dedicated parking, signage: $977,000
• Annual costs for building maintenance, snow clearing, garbage disposal: $65,000
• FTE: $70,000-$90,000
• Land/servicing: variable, dependent on location and services present/near.
With respect to potential locations, in St. Albert, the Mike Mitchell Recycling Center is a similar facility to Edmonton’s Ecostations and Strathcona’s Enviroservice station. A reuse center located at these facilities benefit from having waste/recycle/metal/electronics bins on site should donation materials be unacceptable. As St. Albert does not have a current reuse center, residents are currently directed to local upcycling and buy/sell FaceBook pages.
Utilizing the Hodge Podge Lodge model as reference, the Mike Mitchell Recycling Center is considered to be undersized to accommodate a similar sized footprint that includes the building as well as similar parking provision. Placement of a more static facility incorporated into the through traffic model utilized at Mike Mitchell potentially increases the land footprint required. Additionally and anecdotally, the success of the facility and potential future expansion requirements would not be possible at the Mike Mitchell facility.
Other City owned land could be considered as a location for a Take It or Leave It Facility and aligned with other initiatives for efficiency. An example is the Public Works satellite yard PW-018 proposed on the Badger Lands that is currently in the 10-year Capital plan . The City-owned Badger Lands has also been identified as a potential location for City services such as the Utilities de-watering station and the relocation of the compost depot. Establishment of an enviroservice center similar to Strathcona County or the newly built facility in Fort Saskatchewan could also occur at Badger lands which would allow for an integrated site with space for a Take It or Leave It facility. The overall footprint could be planned such that all potential uses could be integrated into the most efficient alternative. The planning for the Public Works satellite yard will be coming to Council for funding consideration as part of the 2025 budget approval process.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
Erin Wildeboer - Supervisor, Waste and Diversion Outreach Programs, Strathcona County
Leah Seabrook - Manager of Waste Services, Strathcona County
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Strategic Priority 4: Adapting to the changing natural environment.
Initiative: Waste Minimization Strategy
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
On July 4, 2023, Council passed the following motion:
CM-23-29
That Administration provide a report by April 30, 2024, outlining the costs, potential location(s), timeline, and any other considerations to establish a Take it or Leave it Facility, using the Strathcona County Hodge Podge Lodge as a starter model for costs and operational logistics.
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Report Date: April 9, 2024
Author(s): Louise Stewart, John Potter
Department: Public Operations
Department Director: Tim Saunders
Managing Director: Diane Enger
Chief Administrative Officer: Bill Fletcher