When it comes to implementing region-wide initiatives, the municipality west of the bridge is starting to be viewed as a bit of stumbling block.“How are we going to deal with West Kelowna?” said Kelowna City Councillor Graeme James, upon learning his counterparts voted against chipping in for the second stage of a regional plan they approved in its first phase years earlier. “Frankly, I’m getting a little tired of subsidizing West Kelowna.”
The newest bone of contention between the two governments stems from a controversial garbage and recycling removal system. If all impacted local governments took part, it should have cost an extra $1.50 per household. Without West Kelowna, participating municipalities will pay $1.70 per household, and associated costs could run up the bill even further. While recent attention has cast the system in a spotlight, it all started nearly two years ago when alllocal governments in the Central Okanagan gave the go-ahead to the regional district to proceed with the Automated Garbage Collection System. Among the measures taken at the start of 2009 were distributing bins that delineated between yard waste, garbage and recyclables. At that time cameras were installed onto the regional district’s garbage trucks. While truck drivers have been given a view of what’s in the junk for a couple of years now, the next phase of the system will allow for snapshots of misuse, so those who continually use the bins incorrectly can be educated or even penalized. It’s something Central Okanagan Regional District staff say should ultimately reduce the cost to homeowners, not to mention the waste headed to the landfill.
Right now, taxpayers are footing a $70,000 to $80,000 annual bill for sorting garbage out of recyclables and several hundred thousand dollars per year to clean up contaminated yard waste. Those costs could evaporate as the system becomes more efficient. But, West Kelowna’s decision to back out so late in the game throws a wrench in the works, explained Peter Rotheisler, regional waste reduction supervisor. “West Kelowna’s garbage will still be picked up, and the driver will still be able to view the contents,” explained Rotheisler. “But (their decision to not take part) does impede us. It prevents us from doing targeted education, because we don’t know who the offenders are and it’s not easy to enforce the bylaw that way.” By the estimates of Coun. James, that makes room for contamination and the costs associated with that are something that should be scrutinized closely.“I know it’s a regional landfill…but we run it and we own it. We should make them do it,” he said, pointing out there should be an additional fee charged to West Kelowna residents if contaminated loads end up at the landfill. “We should take a hard stand here.” Coun. Robert Hobson took a softer view on West Kelowna’s decision. “I’m not writing off West Kelowna participation,” he said. Hobson feels any extra costs incurred by West Kelowna’s decision to not participate should be passed on so as to end the “free ride effect.”
No comments:
Post a Comment