Residents are being reminded not to treat garbage cans in parks, along pathways and in other public areas as substitutes for household waste carts.
The City of Chestermere says the receptacles are provided for the small amounts of litter people generate while using public spaces. Bags of residential garbage, discarded packaging, shipping materials and food waste should instead be sorted through the city’s curbside collection system.
The reminder also applies to materials requiring special handling. Paint, chemicals, aerosol containers, batteries and electronic equipment should not be placed in public garbage cans. Large quantities of dog waste or cat litter should also be taken home and disposed of according to residential collection rules.
Chestermere’s Waste Management Bylaw requires waste, recycling and compostable material to be handled through authorized collection services or at an approved disposal site. It also prohibits depositing those materials on roads or other city-controlled land unless disposal is authorized.
The bylaw’s penalty schedule lists a $250 specified fine for depositing ordinary waste, recyclable material or compostable material without authorization on a highway or other city-owned land. Depositing prohibited or hazardous materials in those locations can carry a specified penalty of $800. A repeated offence within 12 months may result in the listed penalty being doubled.
Residents have several alternatives. Household garbage belongs in the black cart, while accepted recyclable materials go in the blue cart and food scraps and other accepted compostable material go in the green cart.
The city collects recycling weekly and garbage every two weeks. Organics are collected weekly during warmer months before changing to every two weeks during the colder part of the year.
The Chestermere Eco Centre, at 2881 Chestermere Blvd., accepts many materials that should stay out of public bins, including batteries, electronics, eligible paints and paint aerosols, cardboard, mixed paper, tires and residential organics.
Not every hazardous or bulky item can be left there. The Eco Centre does not accept motor oil, old gasoline, pressurized tanks, furniture, mattresses, construction debris, asbestos or medical waste. The city notes that many of those materials can instead be taken to the East Calgary landfill.
Residents uncertain about an item can consult the sorting information on the city’s waste and recycling webpage or contact the Eco Centre before travelling.
The city says using the proper disposal stream helps keep parks and pathways clean, safe and ready for the next visitor.