Is it time to slow the roll?

Condos face a rocky transition as the City of Edmonton rolls out new waste collection policies in multifamily buildings, marked by overflowing bins and rising costs.

A year into the City of Edmonton’s phased rollout of green bins and mandated waste sorting for multifamily residences, about 28% of the city’s condos and apartments have seen changes implemented so far. The rollout is planned to be citywide by 2027. With a quarter of the multifamily buildings in the city currently adapting to the new program, challenges with the new way of doing things are already coming to light.

While these changes aim to reduce landfill waste and promote environmental sustainability, feedback from CCI North Alberta members reveals that the rollout has not been smooth. Increases in illegal dumping, overflowing bins, and rising costs are leaving some condo corporations wondering if the rollout should be slowed or reconsidered.

The organic waste bins, intended to help residents separate food scraps and recyclables, were presented as a positive environmental initiative. However, it wasn’t made clear that these changes would come with a nearly 50% reduction in regular waste capacity and less frequent waste removal. For condos that rely on shared waste bins, this reduction has created significant challenges.

Increased Costs and Overflowing Bins

For condo boards and managers, the cut in waste capacity has led to operational headaches and increased costs. Overflowing bins have become commonplace, as shared waste facilities make it difficult to enforce individual sorting and waste volume limits. Unlike single-family homeowners, who can more easily see and manage their weekly waste output, individual condo residents may not fully recognize the impact of their waste disposal habits. This places an unfair burden on condo boards to monitor and address compliance.

While some condo residents are diligently sorting food waste and recyclables, the collective nature of shared bins makes it harder to identify certain residents who aren’t sorting and are exceeding their share of space. Condo boards are often left holding the bag.

The problem is compounded by increased illegal dumping on condo properties by non-residents. As waste capacity has decreased across the city, some people have chosen to discard their excess garbage at multifamily sites, which leads to unsightly overflows and, in some cases, bylaw enforcement visits, costly clean-ups, or fines. Many condos affected by the new changes have had to hire private waste contractors to manage the overflow, adding yet another financial strain to condo corporations already dealing with rising expenses.

Limited Solutions & a Call for Flexibility

Current solutions and available options to address the issue of excess waste are limited and far from ideal. The roll-off bin program, previously offered by the city to help condos handle bulky waste items such as old furniture more effectively, has been discontinued. While the city allows extra waste pickups, the frequency is capped.

Recognizing these challenges, the CCI Government Advocacy Committee has raised the issue with Edmonton City Councillors and city staff. The primary recommendation proposed by the city is increased education for condo residents on waste sorting, supported by outreach from the city itself, and also condo boards and condo managers.

While education may help over time, many CCI North Alberta members have expressed the need for a more gradual transition to green bins, reduced waste capacity and waste removal services.

While education may help over time, many CCI North Alberta members have expressed the need for a more gradual transition to reduced waste capacity and waste removal services. This would allow condo owners more time to adopt new practices, give educational efforts a chance to be effective, and ensure that city support is in place to help manage the transition.

Call for Input from Condo Residents & Managers

CI North Alberta is gathering experiences and insights from those impacted by these changes to inform our ongoing advocacy efforts. Your feedback can help shape the solutions we advocate for on behalf of condo residents and corporations across Edmonton.

CCI North Alberta is committed to representing your voice. Together, we can advocate for a more manageable transition to sustainable waste practices.