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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-09-026 - Loose Leaf Collection ProgramREPORT Report To: Mayor Zehr and Members of Council Date of Meeting: April 6, 2009 Submitted By: Jim Witmer Director of Operations Prepared By: Jim Witmer Director of Operations Ward(s~ Involved: All Date of Report: April 2, 2009 Report No.: CSD-09-026 Subject: LOOSE LEAF COLLECTION PROGRAM RECOMMENDATION: For information and discussion. BACKGROUND: The leaf collection program for the City of Kitchener has undergone a variety of changes based on discussions with Council over the last several years. Prior to 2003, there were two levels of service for residents in the City. Residents in the "inner City" had the option of raking their leaves to the curb for pickup or bagging the leaves for pickup by the Region under the yard waste program. All other residents had only the option of bagged leaf pick up under the Regional program at no direct cost to the municipality. Early in 2003, Council directed that because of safety concerns, the previous leaf program should not continue and instructed staff to investigate options including asking the Region to include leaves in their Yard Waste Program. It was felt that by using a very aggressive public education program that asks residents to no longer rake leaves onto the road, encouraging residents to bring their leaves to dump sites provided by the City or mulching/composting this material on their property, it would be effective in the long run with the results of improving road safety. It also anticipated that full benefits to the program could take several years to achieve. In the fall of 2003, Council affirmed its decision to discontinue raking of leaves to the street, and approved the implementation of a fall collection program that advised residents not to rake their leaves to the curb, with the alternatives of taking their leaves to dump sites located throughout the City, composting/mulching the material on their property, and bagging leaves for pick up with the Region of Waterloo's Yard Waste Program. Notwithstanding the above, staff still responded to the anticipated leaf drop by scheduling resources to designated areas where the streets were prone to heavy leaf accumulations that would cause safety concerns. This confusing service level was dropped in favour of a consistent City wide program which provided all residents with a variety of options for leaf disposal. The last change was the Region's decision to remove bagged leaf pickup from the Region's annual yard waste program as the City had revised their service level, which discouraged raking leaves to the curb and encouraged residents to use other options which included bagged leaf pickup. The Region then responded informing the City there would be a cost associated with the bagged leaf pickup program as part of the annual yard waste program. In 2004, Council directed staff to: 1. Continue providing street level pickup of leaves using conventional methods while aggressively communicating to area residents their options for leaf disposal. 2. Engage in discussions with the Region to ensure leaves bagged in Kraft paper bags are part of the annual yard waste program and are picked up in a cost effective manner. 3. Not change the leaf pickup program from 2003 and to communicate this to the residents. During 2005, staff informed Council that recommendations 2 and 3 noted above proved to be successful in allowing residents several options for leaf disposal. A review was proposed for 2006 to determine the effectiveness of the program based on the data collected over the previous years. It was also proposed to evaluate the program and compare our methods with those of other municipalities. The review was completed in 2006 and report (CSD-06-076} which compared Kitchener with Cambridge and Waterloo Program Length, Leaf Disposal Options and Communication} indicated our current leaf program was both effective and efficient, offering residents a wide variety of options to address the fall leaf drop. 2006 was a very successful leaf collection season and the program seemed to be working. In November 2007, a Leaf Collection Update CSD-07-108} reported that we were experiencing a very late leaf drop with 25% of the leaves still on the trees. Typically the program was running from mid October to the end of November. Staff resources would be assigned to collection activity as required into December and beyond if necessary to address the hazard that loose leaves can present if left unaddressed on roadways. It was confirmed that the Region's bi- weekly collection of yard waste would end at the end of November. However, we would continue to collect leaves through utilizing the 12 leaf drop off sites into December as necessary. We would try to have everything completed by the second week of December. The report also noted that due to the lateness of the program there was a potential for conflict if it snowed prior to all the leaves being collected. If it occurred, we would attempt to plow the snow and still leave the leaves on the road adjacent to the curb for pick up if weather permitted, or a melt before the accumulation of snow required the windrow to be plowed up onto the boulevard for safety and road maintenance standard compliance. Communication through this period about the two options left available was done with the assistance of staff from the Mayor's office and on the website. Unfortunately, the snow came early and heavy in November and December which, despite staff's efforts, created a significant problem for staff which necessitated plowing the snow onto the boulevard. We undertook to complete the pickup in January 2008 at the first thaw event and then later that spring. In September 2008 a Leaf Program Update (CSD-08-076) was presented to Council. Staff proposed a full review of the current city wide program in 2009 to determine whether the leaf collection program was still appropriate, cost effective, fair, or even warranted. Further, the timing allowed another year to assess additional improvements that were put in place in 2008. REPORT: Through a PowerPoint presentation, the following areas will be reviewed: 1. Program Objectives - why do we have a loose leaf collection program. 2. Historical Program -what options are currently available for residents in Kitchener. 3. Process -how the current program operates and what are its' components. 4. Activities -what equipment and staff resources are used to collect leaves. 5. Challenges -what makes the program work well and what doesn't. 6. Program Cost - what's the annual cost of the current program 7. Alternative Solutions -what options are available for Council's consideration. 8. Communication -what communication will be required. In 2005, the Environics Research Group reported the following information from Kitchener residents as it relates to their familiarity, satisfaction and spending associated with the leaf collection program. 77% of residents were either very familiar X42%} or somewhat familiar (35%} with the leaf collection program. 77% of residents were either very satisfied X29%) or somewhat satisfied X48%) with the service they were getting for the leaf collection program. 71 % of residents wanted to maintain the amount spent on the program while (11 %) wanted the City to spend more on the program. The report identifies four alternative solutions for Council's consideration. 1. Homeowners take responsibility for leaf disposal. 2. Residents required to place leaves in bags and/or containers. 3. Maintain current program. 4. New Leaf Collection Program. Finally, as a result of the review of the various alternative solutions being presented to Council, Staff is seeking direction from Council on the preferred alternative and approach for the 2009 program. FINANCIAL: The cost of leaf collection has risen on an annual basis. In 2006 the cost to provide the service was $455,000. In 2007 it rose to $467,000. In 2008 additional expenditures of $135,000 from the previous years' program for a spring cleanup caused an over expenditure to the budget of $412,000. If that cost had not been applied, we would have been under budget for the first time in several years with the new program that we had implemented for the fall season. COMMUNICATION: Staff will initiate preparation of the communication plan with our Communications Division. Jim Witmer Director of Operations