Commercial dumping fees at the Central Cariboo Transfer Station are going up by 14.5 per cent, the Cariboo Regional District announced Tuesday, May 19.
The exception will be for demolition and construction waste (DLC), which will be increased by 10 per cent.
While the CRD does tax for commercial dumping, the taxes are not covering the costs, CRD chair Al Richmond said.
“We are trying to recover more of our costs from actual folks who are using our land fills than just relying on the taxpayers to fund it all.”
The new bylaw approving the increase will be effective June 4, 2015.
The bylaw has been established, and will be enforced, to protect the environment and manage tax dollars responsibly, the CRD said in a press release.
“There’s an issue with sorting some of this kind of stuff,” Richmond added. “If it’s not in the right place then there’s an increased cost to handling it.”
Diverting recyclables from the landfill conserves landfill space, keeps harmful substances out of the environment, reduces methane gas production and conserves resources.
Richmond said with increased fees there is always a concern of people dumping illegally, but landfills already have controlled hours and the CRD hasn’t seen a huge increase in the problem.
The new bylaw also includes a landfill ban on recyclables.
The month of June will be used to educate users and starting July 4, 2015, commercial and residential loads of waste (garbage, wood, or demolition and construction) containing more than 10 per cent by volume of recyclables will be charged $200 per tonne, or a $25 fee as a method of enforcing the ban.
Recyclables include, but are not limited to: deposit beverage containers, pharmaceuticals, empty oil containers, oil filters, paints, lead-acid batteries, antifreeze, antifreeze containers, electronics and electrical products including batteries and accessories, passenger and light truck tires, large and small appliances, scrap metal, corrugated cardboard and office paper.
If a business generates any of these recyclables it will need to develop alternate handling methods to ensure they are being recycled.
All listed recyclables can be recycled at various locations in Williams Lake.
A detailed list of recyclables is available on the CRD website, or by emailing talktrash@cariboord.ca.
Fees of $200 per tonne will apply to wood waste that is contaminated with non-wood materials. Attendants will be on-site to inspect all loads coming into the transfer station.
The bylaw also lists prohibited materials such as all liquid, hazardous, and ignitable waste.
A copy of the bylaw is available on the CRD website at cariboord.ca.