Landfill Reopening Considered - UPDATE: WILL OPEN Tomorrow at 8 AM

Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM  Tuesday, 20 August 2013 16:17 
The Greater Vernon landfill could reopen as early as Wednesday.  Operations manager Dale Danallanko from the Regional District of North Okanagan says they'll be meeting with fire officials today to see if that's possible, even if the fire is still burning. "Where the fire is located is on the top bench of the landfill site. We would be able to accomodate customers and keep them away from that area quite effectively. It's more a question of traffic on Birnie Road and through the scale area," he tells Kiss FM. Danallanko says landfill customers are using the Armstrong facility today, which has been busy. He says an average of 100 tons of garbage per day is dropped off by commercial haulers at the Greater Vernon facility. Danallanko says his department is not involved in finding out more about the suspected cause of the fire, a grinding machine that caught fire and spread. "No, we'll leave that to the investigators with Vernon Fire Rescue. It's known where it started, but we'll leave the how and why to the investigators," he says.
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Greater Vernon Recycling and Disposal Facility Reopens Following Fire Posted Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The fire that broke out at the Greater Vernon Recycling and Disposal Facility (GVRDF) on Monday, August 19, 2013 has now been contained. Vernon Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) has been on scene since Monday afternoon and will continue to monitor the situation. Customers are advised that the GVRDF will REOPEN at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 21, 2013. The commercial tipping area and the waste wood marshalling area have been relocated and customers are asked to please follow signage on site. Be advised that air quality at the site is impacted due to the smoke still lingering at the site, customers with respiratory concerns may choose to delay their visit or use an alternate facility.

I'm tired of subsidizing DWK: James

Wayne Moore - CASTANET  Nov 9, 2010 / 5:00 am
Kelowna City Council has said yes to a computerized system which will track how residents are utilizing the new Automated Garbage Collection System.  Along with basic collection data the computerized system, which includes on-board cameras, can detect garbage contamination. "Lets use an example of a yard waste cart that has some material in it that shouldn't be there. If the driver has the ability to make a note of that particular cart and the contamination that goes in to it, that allows us to come back and provide some customer education," says Utility Services Manager, Don Degen. "When a cart has some in it that shouldn't be in it like glass, or metal or whatever it might be, it has a tendency to contaminate the entire load. When it goes to the landfill and it's dumped, there's an inordinate amount of time that staff have to take to go through the material." Degen says the software will cost between $1.50 and $1.70 per household, funds that will come from low net costs of recycling processing. That cost is based on the entire region participating, and since West Kelowna has oped not to take part, Degen says the cost will likely be closer to the high end of the estimate.

West Kelowna refusal to participate angered one City Councillor. "Frankly I am getting a little tired of subsidizing West Kelowna and I think we should look at that. I know it's a regional landfill some say but we run it and we own it," says Councillor Graeme James. "We should take a hard stand here. I don't think we should be subsidizing West Kelowna."  James asked if an additional fee could be charged to West Kelowna residents if contaminated loads end up at the landfill.  "We are actually looking at how we might do that. It's going to come down to determining which loads are coming in from the westside and trying to find out if there is additional contamination that could be taken care of through this system and look at the costs associated with that," added Degen. Mayor Sharon Shepherd says Kelowna will have to receive a report from staff on possible contamination before making any decisions. "That could impact the taxpayers of West Kelowna if they don't have this program in existence because there may have to be an extra charge for a review of the waste containers coming from West Kelowna," says Shepherd. "Also, they won't receive that statistical data that the other communities will eventually have to make better decisions." Shepherd says the statistical data is the vital part of the program for her. She says that information could be used to institute a form of user pay garbage collection service based on a residents collection volume.

Directors dump on landfill fee

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.

Higer Landfill Fees; River Program

Written by Glen Morrison Thursday, 04 November 2010 15:08107.5 KISSFM

It will cost a bit more to use North Okanagan landfills come the new year. The regional district has approved the new fee structure for recycling and waste disposal. Board chair Herman Halvorsen says the fee for regular refuse will go up to 85 dollars a tonne, from 75. Half the increase will go to capital reserves and the other 5 dollars to the costs of eventually closing the landfill. They've also decided to put any surplus at years end into an operating reserve fund. One thing that's not changing is the minimum tipping fee. It will stay at three dollars.

Meantime, the health of the Shuswap River will be the focus of a quarter million dollar program given the go ahead by the regional district. Chair Herman Halvorson says board members narrowly approved funding for the sustainability watershed plan, with him casting the deciding vote in favour.  "We're going to go into phase one, as is the plan. It's going to be led by our staff member Laura Frank." Halvorson says the process will protect water quality in the river, and benefit Shuswap and Mara lakes as well.

Two tiered rates at landfill?

Castanet Staff - Jul 14, 2010 / 5:00 pm:
Kelowna residents have dodged a large increase in tipping fees at the Glenmore Landfill -- at least for now. City Council Monday voted to defer a recommendation that would have seen tipping fees at the landfill jump more than 35 per cent from $55/tonne to $75/tonne. The recommendation came forward after the North Okanagan Regional District recently raised its refuse disposal fee from $63/tonne to $75/tonne. It is anticipated those fees will rise to $90/tonne January, 2011.

"These two tip fee increases on top of a tip fee increase at their gate last year which surpasses our tip fee, can hasten waste import towards our facility," says Mark Watt. "We don't want to lose any space we have through any waste import. The fees we're suggesting at our facility should be at $70 per tonne and we'd like to make this take affect in October to give the commercial sector an opportunity to react to the potential increase they have to pass on to some of their customers." Watt says they don't want to penalize local residents by matching fees charged in the North Okanagan, but they want to discourage the import of waste from other landfills to ship waste our way. Not all Councillors agreed with the rationale. "I have a major problem with this. I don't think we should be adjusting fees based on what other communities are doing," says Councillor Andre Blanleil. "I don't see at $75 and probably an hour for trucking fees that people will actually drive their garbage down to Kelowna. The cost of trucking could run $50, $60, $70 an hour. The difference in savings is not going to make it worthwhile." Along with the increase in tipping fees, there would also be a $7 to $9 increase in 'solid waste reduction fee' charged to Kelowna residents in January of 2011. Blanleil says that increase could have other ramifications, such as illegal dumping in the woods and a further proliferation of people dumping garbage into commercial waste bins.

Councillor Graeme James says, instead of raising fees for Kelowna residents, there should be a second fee for people using the landfill from out of area. "I know some councillors feel it is a regional landfill. I don't. We operate it. We own it," says Councillor James. "I don't see any problems with making money from that landfill. I think we have to look at higher tipping fees for people not from Kelowna and it would discourage people from the North Okanagan from bringing their waste here." James says the city could use those additional monies in other areas.
"We can't subsidize West Kelowna, the Regional District of North Okanagan or wherever. We have to look after the citizens of Kelowna and I'm really not comfortable with some of these increases." Councillor Robert Hobson says there are some alarming costs associated with the report, but, after listening to other comments, reminded councillors the landfill is indeed a regional landfill and not just a Kelowna landfill. "The province has legislated that each regional district have a regional waste management plan, that plan is in place, so actually, Kelowna is the regional landfill. It's a fact of life," says Hobson. "As far as subsidizing our partners, let's remember the landfill has always been a user pay facility and people pay based on our plan of the day no matter where the waste has been coming from. We haven't been subsidizing people who have brought stuff to the landfill. Wherever you came from you paid the same fee based on the cost of the landfill." Hobson says all of those fees have contributed to the development and maintenance of the landfill.

Council agreed to defer voting on an increase until such time as it can hold a workshop on the topic.

Huge landfill increase stayed - for now

Wayne Moore - Jul 13, 2010 Castanet:
Kelowna residents have dodged a large increase in tipping fees at the Glenmore Landfill -- at least for now. City Council Monday voted to defer a recommendation that would have seen tipping fees at the landfill jump more than 35 per cent from $55/tonne to $75/tonne. The recommendation came forward after the North Okanagan Regional District recently raised its refuse disposal fee from $63/tonne to $75/tonne. It is anticipated those fees will rise to $90/tonne January, 2011.

"These two tip fee increases on top of a tip fee increase at their gate last year which surpasses our tip fee, can hasten waste import towards our facility," says Mark Watt. "We don't want to lose any space we have through any waste import. The fees we're suggesting at our facility should be at $70 per tonne and we'd like to make this take affect in October to give the commercial sector an opportunity to react to the potential increase they have to pass on to some of their customers." Watt says they don't want to penalize local residents by matching fees charged in the North Okanagan, but they want to discourage the import of waste from other landfills to ship waste our way.

Not all Councillors agreed with the rationale. "I have a major problem with this. I don't think we should be adjusting fees based on what other communities are doing," says Councillor Andre Blanleil. "I don't see at $75 and probably an hour for trucking fees that people will actually drive their garbage down to Kelowna. The cost of trucking could run $50, $60, $70 an hour. The difference in savings is not going to make it worthwhile." Along with the increase in tipping fees, there would also be a $7 to $9 increase in 'solid waste reduction fee' charged to Kelowna residents in January of 2011. Blanleil says that increase could have other ramifications, such as illegal dumping in the woods and a further proliferation of people dumping garbage into commercial waste bins. Councillor Graeme James says, instead of raising fees for Kelowna residents, there should be a second fee for people using the landfill from out of area. "I know some councillors feel it is a regional landfill. I don't. We operate it. We own it," says Councillor James. "I don't see any problems with making money from that landfill. I think we have to look at higher tipping fees for people not from Kelowna and it would discourage people from the North Okanagan from bringing their waste here."

James says the city could use those additional monies in other areas. "We can't subsidize West Kelowna, the Regional District of North Okanagan or wherever. We have to look after the citizens of Kelowna and I'm really not comfortable with some of these increases." Councillor Robert Hobson says there are some alarming costs associated with the report, but, after listening to other comments, reminded councillors the landfill is indeed a regional landfill and not just a Kelowna landfill. "The province has legislated that each regional district have a regional waste management plan, that plan is in place, so actually, Kelowna is the regional landfill. It's a fact of life," says Hobson. "As far as subsidizing our partners, let's remember the landfill has always been a user pay facility and people pay based on our plan of the day no matter where the waste has been coming from. We haven't been subsidizing people who have brought stuff to the landfill. Wherever you came from you paid the same fee based on the cost of the landfill." Hobson says all of those fees have contributed to the development and maintenance of the landfill.

City trashes landfill fee

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 10, 2010 12:00 PM

A local municipality believes it is being unfairly dumped on over a new landfill fee. Armstrong officials are asking that the North Okanagan Regional District defer a $5 per tonne closure reserve surcharge until 2011 because of the negative impact it’s having on the city’s finances. “It’s made it tough to deal with it,” said Armstrong director John Trainor, adding that the city’s 2010 budget was determined before it received notice from the regional district on the new levy. “We’re not going to go back to our taxpayers and say there’s a late item we have to pay for.” The city pays a contractor directly for waste collection and it’s expected the contractor will now be billing more because of the $5 per tonne surcharge. “Council was concerned around the lateness of advising municipalities of the solid waste management rate increases,” said Patti Ferguson, Armstrong’s chief administrative officer, in a letter to NORD. “The City of Armstrong bills residents for their services at the same time the property tax notices are mailed out. The notices have been sent for 2010 and council has elected to not collect the increased fees from residents until 2011.”

NORD staff say that details about the surcharge were sent out to member jurisdictions in early May, and there is no way that collection of the fee can be stopped now. “We started charging this as of July 1,” said Arnold Badke, general manager of engineering. Will Hansma, Spallumcheen director, doesn’t believe any municipality should have been surprised by the regional district’s process. “We first dealt with this back in February and there was ample opportunity for people to prepare their budgets,” he said. The goal of the surcharge is to build up enough funds to cover the future costs of closing down local landfills.

Transfer station proposed for landfill site

Jason Luciw - Kelowna Capital News Published: January 08, 2010 11:00 PM

After much debate and calls for alternative sites to be found, it now looks as though a transfer station will go on the Westside landfill site after all—and at added cost to all Westside residents to boot. West Kelowna council is being asked to support a Central Okanagan Regional District plan to establish a transfer facility at the Asquith Road landfill in Shannon Lake, after the dump itself ceases operations later this year. The dump is being closed three years earlier than expected because rapid growth on the Westside has caused the landfill to reach full capacity well ahead of the originally projected date of 2013. A transfer station is required because the City of Kelowna has said it would not accept residential self-haul traffic from outside its boundaries coming into the Glenmore landfill.

However, Mayor Doug Findlater and Coun. Duane Ophus had asked for alternative sites to be investigated, after some residents in Shannon Lake, including those living on nearby Alexandria Way, asked for the facility to be moved due to concerns, including dust, noise and views. However, municipal staff has been unable to find any suitable alternative site to date, according to an engineering department report going to council on Tuesday afternoon. The District of West Kelowna is recommending an open-air transfer station be created at a capital cost of $550,000 and an annual operating price tag of $934,000. Residents in West Kelowna, Peachland, Westbank First Nation and the Central Okanagan West electoral area would be on the hook for the bill. West Kelowna staff has proposed that costs for the operation be recovered through a combination of tipping fees and parcel taxes. It is recommended that residents in all four Westside jurisdictions be charged a parcel tax of $27 per year for the transfer station operations, in order to maintain the current tipping fee of $55 per metric tonne or $6 per load of 250 kilograms or less. An alternative would be to increase the tipping fee to $75 per tonne and reduce the parcel tax to $22 per resident in all four Westside jurisdictions. In the meantime, staff is also asking that council support a recommendation to negotiate the move of Westside transfer station operations to the District of West Kelowna from the regional district.

Trash talk creates political stink around the CORD board table

Jason Luciw - Kelowna Capital News Published: December 17, 2009

The frustration was palpable around the regional district board table Monday night as West Kelowna continued to stall on the location of a much-needed transfer station for the Westside landfill. Even Kelowna Coun. Michelle Rule, known for her kind demeanor, was noticeably upset at West Kelowna’s stance. “I would feel better if the district of West Kelowna would make up their mind,” Rule stated sharply. The need for a transfer station arises from the regional district’s need to close the Westside landfill, which serves Peachland, Westbank First Nation, the Central Okanagan West rural area and West Kelowna, by mid-2010. The dump has reached its capacity a full three years earlier than anticipated due to growth on the Westside. Before the closure can occur, however, the regional board must agree to the form and location of a transfer station where residents can take additional waste. The garbage would be transferred to the Glenmore landfill in Kelowna, which will be the only remaining dump in the Central Okanagan. Kelowna is unwilling to accept residential self-haul waste from the Westside, saying the dump will not be able to handle the additional traffic, making the transfer station a necessity.

The majority of the regional board was prepared to put its stamp of approval on an engineering staff report this week, which recommended the necessary transfer station be built at the existing Westside landfill site near Shannon Lake. However, Mayor Doug Findlater and Coun. Duane Ophus, who represent West Kelowna on the regional board, protested the staff recommendation. Findlater told the board that the regional district should be exploring alternative sites and making a comparative business case among several locations to ensure the best, most affordable option is found. However, regional district administrator Harold Reay said there is no additional site that staff knows of. West Kelowna has also admitted to knowing of no additional options at this time.

Waste reduction supervisor Peter Rotheisler also mentioned that the current plan, which calls for an open transfer station on the existing site, is by far the most affordable option. Under that option, a $28 increase would be required on West Kelowna tax bills to support transfer station operations and to cover the costs of hauling garbage over to the Glenmore Landfill, said Rotheisler. The tax increase would ensure that Westside user fees remain the same at $55 per metric tonne or $6 per truckload of household waste under 250 kilograms. Rotheisler added that moving the transfer station would cause costs to skyrocket. “There would be tonnes of consultation required, there would need to be research into real estate acquisition, not to mention there’s no obvious source of funding to pay for it.” Meanwhile, Ophus noted that the regional district must also still hold public consultation on the plan and he was uncomfortable with moving forward without public feedback. The regional district appeased the District of West Kelowna, agreeing to delay a decision on a site for the transfer station until a meeting on Jan. 14. Regional board chairman Robert Hobson urged West Kelowna to make a decision quickly, noting that final closure plans for the landfill have been in the works for more than a year. “Time is ticking,” said Hobson.

Subsequently, West Kelowna council passed on its first opportunity to commit to a transfer station site at its Tuesday afternoon meeting.That leaves council’s Jan. 12 meeting as the last possible chance for council to make a recommendation to the regional board.