Notice Board

The Southern Alberta Council for Public Affairs (SACPA) presents a session with Joel Sanchez of the City of Lethbridge as he discusses recycling initiatives in southern Alberta.

How much does Lethbridge recycle and where does it all end up?

Date:                    Thursday, September 19, 2019
Time:                    Doors open 11:30 a.m., Presentation 12 noon, buffet lunch 12:30 p.m., Q&A 1 – 1:30 p.m.
Location:              Royal Canadian Legion (north door) 324 Mayor Magrath Dr S Lethbridge
Cost:                    $14 buffet lunch with dessert/coffee/tea/juice or $2 coffee/tea/juice. RSVP not required

The majority of residents in Lethbridge believe in the importance of recycling and keeping waste out of the landfill. The City's Waste Diversion Policy has led to specific targets for reducing waste in both households and businesses with the goal of cutting overall community waste in half by 2030. The Residential Waste Diversion Strategy is targeted to reduce the amount of waste residents send to the landfill with a 50 per cent waste diversion rate by 2021 and a 65 per cent waste diversion rate by 2030.

These goals can be reached by implementing effective and proven programs that increase waste diversion such as Introduction of a Curbside Recycling Collection Program and a Curbside Organics Collection Program.

The business sector also has a large part to play when it comes to reducing waste. Targets for waste diversion in the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) sector include a 25 per cent waste diversion by 2021 and a 45 per cent waste diversion by 2030.

The City of Lethbridge is committed to market recycled materials and to keep it out of the landfill, include quarterly reports from the broker, including end market performance, assessment of market continuity, percentage of materials not suitable or that were disposed of, utilization of environmentally responsible end markets etc. As these programs gets underway, the city aims to have a transparent process to demonstrate where materials are being recycled and share that information. The speaker will elaborate on the details of waste diversion and describe issues that are likely to affect future policies.

Speaker:              Joel Sanchez

Joel Sanchez was born and raised in Maracay, Venezuela, and relocated to Canada in 2006 with his family. He received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering in 1999 at the University of Carabobo in Venezuela and completed his Project Management Certification in 2009 at the University of Calgary. Joel has been employed with the City of Lethbridge since 2011. In 2017, Joel accepted the position of Waste & Recycling Services general manager and is currently leading the Curbside Recycling Program with the City of Lethbridge. As a city liaison on the board of directors for the Recycling Council of Alberta (RCA), Joel advocates for waste reduction, recycling and resource conservation in the Province of Alberta.

Prior to starting his career with the City of Lethbridge, Joel amassed more than 10 years of experience in the food industry in the areas of asset management and continuous improvement projects. Joel’s passion for the community of Lethbridge extends into his volunteer work as a baseball coach for more than eight years with Little League and as a board member for Lethbridge American Legion Baseball.

Moderator:         Mark Goettel

For more information on the Southern Alberta Council for Public Affairs, visit the SACPA website.