Tipping fees in the Comox Strathcona Waste Management area will be going up in the near future.
The CSWM board passed a bylaw to adopt the solid waste tipping fees and charges at the Feb. 13 meeting. The bylaw notes this should be effective as of Sept. 1.
While there was little discussion at the latest meeting, it had been the subject of a presentation at the previous board meeting in November.
The staff report at that time indicated the amount for municipal solid waste will go up from $130 per tonne to $140. It includes a table that lists municipal solid waste tipping fees for neighbouring regional districts. The amounts are $130 per tonne for Nanaimo, $125 for Mount Waddington, $140 for Cowichan Valley and $120 for Alberni Clayoquot.
As well as municipal solid waste, there are increases for other types of waste listed in the bylaw. Construction and demolition debris will also increase by $10 to $140 a tonne. Controlled waste, which is material that requires special handling, will increase from the current rate of $180 a tonne to $200. The amount for municipal solid waste that contains recyclables will go up $30 to a total of $330 per tonne. The bylaw also sets out minimum charges as well as rate for customers from out of area.
CSWM has been running a mattress collection program. The amount scheduled will be $15 per unit, up from the current amount of $6.
CSWM has been working to divert the amount of waste going to landfills in recent years because of findings that show a lot of recyclable and organic material is still going there. The mattress program is one example of an initiative to reduce this amount.
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Last fall’s staff report notes that tipping fees last increased in early 2016 and the recent recommendations were based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) – Victoria percentage increases between 2016 and 2019. The average annual CPI increase the past three years has been two per cent.
“The structure of the tipping fees should be consistent and reasonable year over year and sets tipping fees that are consistent across the region,” the report states. “If board direction is to shift the tipping fees rates in a significant way, it would require additional public outreach and resources to work with our stakeholders before undertaking such a path.”
The changes to tipping fees and rates are expected to provide $200,000 in additional revenue for this year and $635,000 for the complete year in 2021.
The bylaw was to have been adopted in January but the meeting was cancelled, with agenda items being put over until this month’s board meeting.
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