By Steve Hubrecht
The District of Invermere hopes to have another yard waste collection bin in the fall, as it did this past spring, but may make a few changes.
The communal collection bin was put out by the district as a spot for Invermere residents to drop off grass clippings, branches and other backyard organic debris. It was set up in late March in the old community hall parking lot (which is currently a large gravel parking lot) for several weeks. The hope was that by making it more convenient for Invermere residents to get rid of these kinds of materials (which normally need to be taken to the Windermere landfill), they would do a better job of keeping their yards FireSmart.
It may seem like a relatively small measure, but yard waste such as piles of old pine needles, dead branches and the like are perfect places for a small blaze to quickly grow into a raging fire. With last year’s record-setting wildfire season still in mind, municipal officials are keen for everyone to do everything they can to make fires less likely to start and (if they do start) less likely to spread in Invermere.
“We did have some success . . . it was very popular,” said Invermere director of public works and operations Angela MacLean. “Unfortunately it was also very popular with contractors as well as the public.”
MacLean outlined a desire to set the bin out this fall as well, but with a few tweaks to help ensure that it is residents instead of businesses that are filling the bin.
One of those tweaks could be having neighbourhood pickups instead of a single large bin in a centralized location.
That would “give a bit more control (for the District of Invermere),” explained MacLean.
Invermere Mayor Al Miller supported the idea of neighbourhood pickup points.
“Not everyone has the kind of vehicle you need to haul yard waste to a centralized location, let alone to the landfill. If there are (neighbourhood pickup points) that makes it easier for people to get their yard waste out of their yard. That is better for Invermere,” he said.
