Back in July I promised to discuss further the issues relating to garbage. It is budget time for local governments so I can no longer procrastinate about this important issue.
During the 1990's when I was on the NORD Board I was also member of the Waste Management Committee. This Committee was responsible for the management and planning for waste management. One important policy dictated by the Ministry of Environment at that time was to set aside funds for the closing of the Landfill site at the end of its usefulness. Closing procedures are very elaborate and require large sums of money. Recent estimates run at $25 million. By the end of 1999 there were about $3 million in the reserve account. Unfortunately, the money seems to have been used for other purposes between 1999 and 2009.
Whatever happened to those funds is of little consequence: the fact is that monies are needed to operate the landfill and for the closure of it when it is filled. My concern is how these monies are collected.
The city of Vernon collects the funds through mandatory garbage collection fees. For the quarterly fees each household is permitted to dispose of up to two bags of garbage each week. Coldstream was urged to use the same system. I consider this system totally unfair. Here is why.
We all purchase our garbage as it is part of the our goods we purchase. Obviously, the more one purchases, the more one pays. So why should we pay the same for the disposal of that garbage regardless of how much it is? Some households may dispose of one bag of garbage a month, while others religiously dispose the maximum two bags a week.
The fair system would be to pay for what we contribute, the user pay system. We need to set a fair access fee and beyond that we should pay an appropriate rate for each bag at the curb side. This would be fair to all and it would also encourage reduction of the waste stream. If one has to pay a per bag fee one would be more inclined to remove the recyclables from the garbage ensuring a longer life for the landfill.
Increased garbage fees are inevitable. What we must do is to make sure that the fee structure is fair to all.
Your comments, as always are welcome.
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