There will most likely be changes coming to tipping fees at the Hay River Landfill.
Councillors moved first and second reading to amend the town’s Fees and Changes Bylaw that, if passed, will see some fees increase beginning this year. The motion was done during a council meeting at town hall on Monday evening.
Administration recommended the changes based off a third-party review done by Peter Houweling, general manager of Kavanaugh Waste Management Services in Yellowknife. Houweling was asked to take a look at the tipping fees being charged and come up with any recommendations he felt were worth looking at. He compared fees being charged in Hay River to those in Yellowknife, Didsbury, Alta., and Peace River, Alta.
In his letter to council, which was accepted at Monday’s meeting, Houweling noted that the town was running the landfill under a subsidized model instead of a user-pay one.
He stated that there was a positive and negative to subsidizing the landfill.
“The pro side of a subsidized model is affordability for residential site users, which potentially could incentivize proper disposal and reduce the risk of illegal dumping around town,” he wrote. “The con side is that tax dollars are being used to subsidize the disposal costs for commercial businesses, institutions and government agencies.”
The proposed changes will still see residents allowed to bring household waste to the facility without having to pay a fee to do so; Houweling recommended that a minimum fee starting at around $5 be charged for landfill users. By comparison, the solid waste facility in Yellowknife charges a minimum of $16.50.
One of the fee changes comes in the form of mattresses now being subject to a $10 tipping fee, something Houweling stated should be done as they could be shredded, which would increase airspace utilization at the landfill, as well as ensure that the coils don’t get tangled in the compactor. Construction waste and household hazardous waste, such as paints, used oil or antifreeze, will now both be a minimum $10 charge.
Propane tanks weighing between 40 to 100 lbs. which are emptied with their valves removed would cost $25 to drop off, up from $15, while commercial waste will be charged a minimum of $30.
Another proposed change is taking away supplemental tipping fees based on vehicle type if the weigh scale at the facility is down either through maintenance or if the senior administrative officer decides to shut it down.
When that happens, the minimum charge per cubic metre would be $13 for residential vehicles, while commercial vehicles would be charged at $24 per cubic metre.
Glenn Smith, the town’s senior administrative officer, said administration was recommending going by volume instead of weight if the scale isn’t available.
“There was a lot of different vehicle or container sizes,” he said. “(It) made it difficult because you’re trying to compare one (vehicle) to another. In some cases, you would have a five-tonne truck, which has a bigger box than a smaller size.”
In his findings, Houweling referred to those sorts of supplemental fees as “redundant”.
Mayor Kandis Jameson recused herself from the discussion as it involved her company, Hay River Disposals.
—By Amanda Rumbolt