One of the big issues discussed at the Town of Ponoka municipal election was garbage collection.
Ever since the town changed its waste management program to a bi-weekly garbage collection (grey bins) with Green For Life Environmental (GFL), there have been mixed responses from residents.
The town’s switch also brought in mandatory bi-weekly recycling collection (blue or clear bags storing recyclables) as well summer yard waste collection (green bins), which is weekly. GFL collects the recycling and sorts it at one of the company’s facilities while the yard waste is transported to the town’s transfer station where it is eventually composted.
The new program cost $6 per month for residents who opted into the program. The other option was to sign up for the blue box recycling program at the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, which is $12 per month for weekly collections.
Ponoka News posted a web poll Oct. 24 asking this question: Would you like to see weekly garbage pickup in the Town of Ponoka?
Since then the poll has seen 429 votes with readers voting just under 60 per cent in favour of weekly collections with the rest voting against. Interestingly, Ponoka News also posted a second web poll asking if readers would be willing to pay more for weekly pickups.
Of the 120 votes in that poll, 80 per cent were against paying more while the rest spoke in favour of paying more for weekly pickups.
Reaction from readers was passionate with comments going to both the Ponoka News’ Facebook page and on www.ponokanews.com.
For some readers, weekly pickups ensure that in the summer there will be less smell as well as having issues with maggots in the garbage. Or for those parents with young kids, diapers also seem to cause an issue.
Others say the new program has created better recycling opportunities and their garbage has been reduced because of it. One reader said that if the recycling is done right, the grey bin will take some time to fill up.
The town’s green bin program ends Oct. 30 and will resume sometime in May 2017.
This poll was used to gauge what our Ponoka News readers think about the weekly/bi-weekly waste and recycle collection program in the Town of Ponoka. It is not a petition.