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:- ENVIRONMENT: Turtle Island recycling contract paying dividends Northern municipalities save $300K in lst year of contract The green bin and waste contract with Turtlelsland RecyclingandWaste saved the northern six municipalities in,York Region more than $300,000 in the first year of a 10- year deal. BY AMANDA PEBSICO apersico@yrmg. com ‘subject to applicable law, mutilin and dung 905-640-6333 Since the northem six share one contract, that means extra savings for you as well as each municipality, Newmarket CAO Bob Shelton said, adding an audit showed 2008 savings were higher and costs were lower than In 2007, East Gwillimbury, Aurora, Geor- gina, King Township, Newmarket and Whitchurch-Stoufivillle signed a 10-year con- tract worth close to $10 million with Thrtle Island to collect and dispose of garbage, recy- “We’re in good shape,” Mr. Shelton said. “We were more pleased than surprised.” The northern six also pay less in collection costs â€"- $95.70 per ton for green and blue bin materials and $52.10 for waste collection. The cost of either service is an additional $20 in Oshawa and $70 in Hamilton. The savings come from lower costs associ- ated with one contract instead of six difierent ones. “It’s a winning project," Mr. Cash said, “There is a higher service level, our costs are lower and it’s better for the environment.” The reported savings also help ofiset the costs for growth, where more than 1,000 homes were built in Whitchumh-Stoufville in thepastyeax. At the beginning of the contract, the target was a waste diversion rate of 60 to 65 per cent by separating organics and recyclables. The audit concluded there was a 61-per-cent waste diversion rate in 2008. Municipalities can use the $306,824 in sav- ings to enhance local service by having addi- tional pickup days for multi-resident build- ings, as was the case inWhitchurch-Stoufiville, town CAO Dave Cash said. Nowthattheprogmmhasbeenrunnmg for a couple of years, the municipalities decid- ed to pool resources and conduct an audit to see how the contract was panning out, Mr. Shelton said. tract worth close to $10 million with "Ilmle Island to collect and dispose of garbage, recy- cling and green bin materials. “Here, residents are getting very good value According to the audit, the first few months were riddled with complaints about the new collection system, but after the six-month mark, complaints died down. As a result of the early complaints, Turtle Island set up 3 1-800 number for complaints and a customer service centre. “It was a one-two punch for residents,” Mr. Kalimootoo said. “There were two changes made at the same time, the way residents separate their garbage and a new contractor." and increased service for the dollar," Mr. Shel- ton said. But it didn’t start out that way. In 2007, not only were the northern six municipalities Switching garbage collectors, they were also switching how the garbage was collected, said East Gwillimbury engineering and environmental services director Chris Kalimootoo. V 138 - Aurora resident complaints in the first six months of 2009. That’s a 52-per-(ent decrease from the previous year. Aurora was used as a case study for the northern six municipalities. Turtle Island recycling audit: V 61 per cent - reported curbside waste diversion rate in 2008 V $306,824 - savings in 2008 BY THE NUMBERS