The City of Lacombe wants people to make better use of the Prentiss landfill.

Last night City Council said more signage is needed to divert people away from the recycling depot who are dropping off brush and other non-recyclables.

Although the city is happy people are taking advantage of the depot and keeping the alleys clear from debris, they would like to see more people head straight to the dump.

Councillor Grant Harder said there is no logic for the city to have to spend taxpayer’s money on trips to the landfill.

“To me it doesn’t make any sense for them to take it off a back of a truck so the city gets to load it back into a truck and drive it out to Prentiss,” said Harder.

“Why don’t they just continue down the road, go to Prentiss, drop it off once and save everybody time, energy and money.”

Council also discussed the idea of no longer accepting organics at the recycling depot.

By eliminating the tree and brush service alone, the city could save big time on labour costs, by not having to make as many trips out to the dump.

Acting Director of Planning and Operations Lyla Peter said it’s something that should be considered.

“If we were to get rid of the brush, there’s approximately $60,000 cost that could be saved,” said Peter.

“The cost to staff and man the site for clean-up and an attributed cost that we may receive if were to rent out the vehicles that city owns rather than using it on site.”

Peter also said the majority of people using the depot come from Lacombe County and that curbside recycling hasn’t caused the depot to be utilized less frequently.