For The Record: Curbside recycling pickup could be introduced in Bow Island

By COLLIN GALLANT on May 26, 2021.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

Curbside recycling pickup could be coming to Bow Island.

That town’s council was scheduled Tuesday to debate and vote on a final contract with Environmental 360 Solutions for bi-weekly pickup of cardboard, paper, tin and plastic.

The town began exploring the issue in early 2020 after a steep drop in resale prices for the municipal operation.

A report sent to this week’s council meeting says a final contract with E360S would see the unsorted material dealt with at the company’s Medicine Hat sorting facility. A larger central depot and bins would also be available in Bow Island.

The contract would be for five years, though financial terms are not made available.

The company was the original contract provider when the City of Medicine Hat approved curbside pickup service in 2017.

The city used an out clause however, when the firm applied to amend the contract price and a new contract was awarded to GFL Environmental.

E360S maintains commercial and several municipal contracts in the region.

Sask. reopening

Outdoor sports have been move ahead in the plan to reopen Saskatchewan from pandemic control protocols, that province announced Tuesday.

With “Step One” coming into force on May 30, groups and youth participating in outdoor sports will be allowed to resume activities with some regulations in place.

That was originally slated for Step Two.

Participants must complete health checks, not participate if they exhibit symptoms, and capacity levels will be in place. Spectators are also required to distance from each other as league play resumes, though tournaments and interprovincial travel are still restricted.

Public outdoor events are capped at an maximum attendance of 150 as part of the reopening stage that is based on vaccination levels in the general population.