Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 04, 2010 6:00 PM
Higher fees for people disposing of residential garbage at local landfills has been trashed. North Okanagan Regional District directors have shot down a staff proposal to increase the minimum tipping fee from $3 to $4 per tonne in January. “The increase to self-haulers is unreasonable,” said director Will Hansma of people who don’t pay for garbage collection and get rid of garbage on their own. The minimum fee to use the scales at landfills has been $3 a tonne since 2005, and was $7 before that. “The fee was lowered originally five years ago to accommodate users of the rural transfer stations,” said Nicole Kohnert, regional engineering services manager, in a written report. “The cost to use the scales and make a disposal facility available to each user that enters a recycling and disposal facility is substantially higher than $3 per person or load.” Kohnert believes higher fees will also cut down on the number of trips residents make to landfills. “If you have more self-haulers than can be handled on site, the big haulers get irritated,” she said, referring to long lines of vehicles at the scales. However, Hansma said there are many residents in Spallumcheen who don’t have access to commercial garbage collection and they need to get rid of their trash. Director Doug Dirk opposed the higher minimum tipping fee, saying it could lead to illegal dumping. “If people are discouraged to self-haul, they may look for other options especially in rural areas,” he said. While the minimum tipping fee isn’t going up, other fees at local landfills are increasing. Starting in January, the fee for regular refuse will be increased from $75 to $85 per tonne. That money will go into the capital reserve, the landfill closure reserve and the solid waste management operating reserve.
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