When it comes to trash, some Jasperites are pretty sneaky, says  Janet Cooper, the town’s environmental stewardship co-ordinator.

“When people are moving apartments, whatever they don’t want, they sneak out at night and abandon at the bins. Then the grounds crew has to make a dedicated trip to the transfer station.”

Guerrilla garbage is part of the $550,000 annual cost of gathering and disposing of the 7,400 tons of trash Jasper residents generate every year.

According to Ken Quackenbush, Jasper’s manager of environmental services, its costs $317,000 to gather the garbage and drop it at the Parks Canada transfer station.

A landfill at the transfer station swallows 2,000 tons and another 600 tons of organic solids are composted there. It costs $160,000 to haul 3,400 tons that aren’t buried or composted to the Hinton landfill, and another $73,000 to leave it there.

“The entire cost is recovered through residential and commercial fees,” said Quackenbush. 

What isn’t fully recovered is the $164,000 a year the town spends to handle 1,400 tons a year of recyclables, everything from beverage containers to scrap metal.  The recycling program generates just $50,000 a year – mostly from the sale of cardbord and paper. 

A $25,000 study of Jasper’s garbage turned up some shocking facts for a town in the middle of a national park, where many consider themselves aware and protective of the environment.

The audit looked at garbage loads from single family, multi-family, commercial, hotels, and Parks Canada. Jasper Park Lodge has its own waste management system and was audited separately.

“What was really shocking was the amount of  recyclables in the loads -- all kinds cardboard, paper and  bottles,” said Cook.

“With the exception of JPL, the biggest offenders are hotels. There is no recycling done by the chambermaids. Everything goes in the garbage, refundable bottles, newspapers, organic material that could be composted.” 

The study found that 64 per cent of what hotels discarded could have been recycled, compared to just 38 per cent at Jasper Park Lodge..

“Of all the restaurants we have, only a small percentage sort out their compost. We make it easy for them, we give them a free bin and we give them free pickup, but a lot of material that could be composted winds up in their trash,” said Cook.

The study found that the town diverts just 27 per cent of organic material that could be composted from the 3,400 tons of solid waste that goes to the Hinton landfill. 

Almost 60 per cent of residential refuse could have been diverted to the recycle stream, “despite the fact that we have been recycling for many years,” said Quackenbush.

“We have the programs and infrastructure to meet our goals, we now need to make significant changes in behaviour. We can make it less convenient to dispose of trash, or easier to  get rid of separated organic material.”