The Town of Edson and the Edson and District Recycling Society (EDRS) have reached a new service agreement, which expires Oct. 30, 2026.
Edson entered a service agreement with Yellowhead County and the EDRS in July 2020, with the contract set to expire on June 30, 2023. A one-year extension was granted to extend this to June 30, 2024. At this point, Alberta had announced new legislation relating to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), so the contract was extended again to June 30, 2025, in light of the transition period.
Recycling service costs are shared under the agreement, with the town covering 65 per cent and Yellowhead County covering 35 per cent. The county has informed the town it no longer wishes to continue the agreement, as it intends to enter into its own contract for services with a recycling provider.
As the agreement only pertained to the cost of services, town administration sees no impact to Edson and says the town will continue to pay for the services used by its residents.
On June 17, Edson town council approved a new service agreement that incorporates this change, as well as changes for accepted materials and pricing based on the implementation of EPR on April 1 this year.
As the second phase of EPR is set for 2027 and would see the town move to curbside pick up for materials covered under the legislation, this new agreement expires Oct. 30, 2026.
Officials say the new agreement is consistent with the March 18 council decision to reduce residential monthly user fees for recycling to $7.25 per month, from $11.23 per month.
As a result, the budget for the remainder of 2025 has been reduced by 28 per cent. The 2025 budget for recycling services was $423,000 and for 2026, will be reduced to about $305,000.
