Surrey is doing its part to meet the ambitious waste diversion goals of Metro Vancouver. The regional authority is seeking to divert 70% of all household waste from landfills, made achievable through increases in recycling and composting. Waste is a major issue confroting Metro Vancouver, whose lease at the existing Cache Creek landfill ends shortly and has no short term plan to increase garbage capacity (although local incinerators are being proposed and touted by Chair of the Waste Committee and Surrey Councillor Marvin Hunt). And so, in an effort to reduce the demand for landfills or incinerators, waste diversion has been a primary objective for the semi-democratic Board.
Last year, the City introduced single-stream recycling, removing the need to separate newspapers and cardboards into their respective plastic bags. Now, in an effort to double compost rates, the City is planning to introduce an expanded organics pickup service and the Engineering Dept. wants your input!
Under the proposal, the City will pickup meats, vegetables, fats & bones, paper towels and other organic kitchen waste, in addition to your yard waste. It will be taken to a facility to be processed into biofuels or compost. Pickup options to be determined include the size and provision of the new waste receptacles, ranging from personal store bought bins with City-provided organic stickers (like the existing yard waste program), to a City-provided large outdoor bin and small indoor kitchen bucket.
Another option is to change all existing waste bin policies (garbage, recycling, and organics) to a City-wide, City-provided standard extra-large bin, which could speed up service as it would be designed to interface mechanically with the garbage trucks, requiring fewer workers. With the additional size of this new bin, the City proposes to reduce pickup to every two weeks.
All these options and more are currently up for debate. Provide your input to a City survey here.
One of the most significant public infrastructure investments in the City Centre is set to be unveiled next week. The Kasian-Moriyama designed City Hall building will be revealed to the public June 29th, with an event planned at 12 noon in the Grand Hall at SFU Surrey.
Watts chats with The Province
Has Watts looked into options for Surrey to leave TransLink? It sounds like it.
While it is known that Watts and Robertson operate on opposite sides of the political spectrum, and have previously butt heads on several issues, it is interesting to hear that they do not work together as closely as one might hope.
Watts had previously denied jumping into provincial politics, but as far as I know, this is her first official announcement of her intentions to run for the mayoralty next year, although it is hardly surprising.
Vancouver animosity has grown within the suburbs in recent years, especially within the Tri-Cities and the South of Fraser. It is obvious that a new regional relationship and balance between the core and the burbs will have to be developed within the next few years to ensure that the Metro remains competitive on the global stage. Unfortunately, based on Watts’ comments with regards to Vancouver Mayor Robertson, it does not seem as if Surrey is prepared to take the lead in shaping that regional future.
Although it may be “the biggest issue,” Watts had little details to provide the live chat. Of the 17 questions posed, 4 were on transportation. Her responses to each were vague and sometimes contradictory:
Her response underlines Watts’ philosophy of partnerships. Rather than approach the transport deficiencies with a public outcry of dissent, she continues to prefer a cooperative and conciliatory method behind closed doors. While that approach has resulted in the expansion of some bus routes, with TransLink’s current budget woes, it is unlikely that Surrey will receive any further improvements in the near future without new funding agreements to ensure the City receives its fair share.
Apparently, the only solid effort being made to improve transport is the work of rail supporters in the south Fraser. Unfortunately for the lobbyists, their work does not seem to have translated into political support. As you’ll see below, Watts no longer believes that Light Rail is the best option for the City.
This was a common line by former Minister of Transport, Kevin Falcon, used to explain why he did not support the Interurban line. Overall though, it is a weak argument, as transport corridors, whether they are roads or rails, will undoubtedly travel through non-developable areas. This is even more of an issue in the south Fraser, as it is the location of most of the region’s agricultural land. These constrictions have not stopped us from building roads through these green zones however – why should rail transit be any different?
You can read the rest of the live chat archive over at The Province online.