Local residents now have a slightly larger weekday window to utilize services at the Cochrane Eco Centre.

Fabrizio Bertolo is the Manager of Waste and Recycling for the Town of Cochrane and he says that they have extended their hours of operation to make the Eco Centre more accessible for working residents.

"The Town has decided to provide opportunities for our residents that cannot attend the Eco Centre during our regular nine to five hours during the week," explains Bertolo.

With extended hours in place, the Eco Centre is now open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays but Bertolo says, for now, those extra hours will have an expiration date.

"This is a pilot program," explains Bertolo. "We want to evaluate the extended hours for one year. After one year we will collect all the data about the use of the Eco Centre during these two hours on Thursday evenings and see if we need to [permanently] change these hours."

For those who aren't able to get to the Eco Centre on weekdays, Bertolo is reminding residents that they are also open from nine to five on Saturdays.

The Eco Centre is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., on Thursdays from 9  a.m. - 7 p.m. and  Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Attendants are on-site at all times during regular hours of operation.