Environmental Services Director Darryl Lisak presented the department’s annual report to the Victoria City Council, citing a decline in curbside recycling, operational challenges tied to aging fleet and staffing shortages, and several proposed measures for the coming budget cycle.

Lisak said the department serves roughly 20,225 residential customers for weekly garbage collection and biweekly recycling. He reported curbside recycling totaled about 674 tons for the year, down from roughly 1,000 tons the prior year, and that 44% of recyclables were contaminated and therefore not recyclable under processing rules. Lisak described the contamination rate as a major driver of reduced recycling performance.

Household hazardous waste (HHW) collections also declined to about 22 tons from an average near 50 tons in prior years; electronic waste accounted for about 65% of the HHW volume, Lisak said.

Fleet and staffing pressures:

- Fleet replacement timeline has stretched: Lisak said his average truck life is seven years but lead times and supply issues have pushed delivery times to 11 years in some cases. He said four council‑age 2016 automated trucks likely need replacement and estimated a replacement cost of roughly $525,000 per truck; replacing four trucks would cost about $2.1 million.

- Other specialized vehicles (knuckle booms, rear loaders) also require future replacement; Lisak estimated $300,000 per knuckle boom and additional rear loader replacements in coming years.

- Staffing shortages are preventing deployment of a planned additional route; Lisak said the department is short two positions and losing experienced workers to private firms that offer higher pay for drivers. He described heavy overtime and operational stress as a result.

Service and program updates:

- Community Appearance: Christy (title given in presentation as Community Appearance lead) described in‑house weedy lot abatement the department now performs and noted the city places liens on properties that fail to pay abatement costs after a notice period.

- Communications and education: Staff will roll out a Waste Wizard online tool to help residents determine how to dispose of specific items; the city also launched targeted route alerts via the City Alert Center to communicate service changes.

Budget and rates:

Lisak reviewed the structure of enterprise (environmental services) rates, which are designed to have each line of business pay for itself. He said the residential collection fee has been flat for years and the department has delayed rate increases where possible but noted recurring operating needs and large future vehicle purchases could necessitate rate adjustments.

Next steps and council action:

Lisak said staff will bring the Class I amendment to the city’s Republic contract and a landfill operations RFP forward for council consideration. He recommended that council consider facilities consolidation (a centralized operations/fleet location) and possibly hiring certified heavy equipment mechanics to reduce outsourcing repair time and truck downtime.

Attribution: Presentation and all quoted technical figures are drawn from Environmental Services Director Darryl Lisak and Community Appearance lead Christy as recorded in the meeting transcript.