Tipping fees at Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) facilities and transfer stations will be increasing this spring, inflating not just the amount that individual users will pay, but what local municipalities including Castlegar will pay as well.
The City of Castlegar has a contract with Waste Management for the collection and disposal of residential waste, but the bill for the tipping fees — the amount charged based on the volume or weight of waste being left at the landfill — is the responsibility of the city. The city currently pays approximately $8,000 per month for tipping fees, which will increase by 5.9 per cent April 1. This will add about $470 per month, or $5,640 per year to the city's waste collection costs.
As city staff and councillors head into 2017 budget planning some are hoping that a decrease in the volume of waste resulting from the new waste collection program introduced in 2016 will help offset some of the cost increase.
For the RDCK West SubRegion, mixed waste tipping fees will increase $5 per tonne or $2 per cubic metre to $90 per tonne or $22 per m3. The affected facilities include the Ootischenia and Nakusp landfills, and the Rosebery, Slocan, Burton, and Edgewood transfer stations.
For the RDCK Central SubRegion fees are increasing by $15 per tonne to $100 per tonne or $24 per m3. Facilities affected by this increase are the Balfour, Central (Salmo), Kaslo, Marblehead, and Ymir transfer stations.
Tipping fees for other types of waste including compacted waste, controlled waste, asbestos, bulky waste, noxious weeds and reusable products will also go up.
According to an RDCK press release, the regional district wants to promote a user-pay principal as it is "more fair and transparent and places the cost burden of waste disposal on those who place the greatest demands on the waste system."
"The RDCK Resource Recovery program relies primarily on both tipping fee revenue and tax requisition to maintain our network of facilities and services", says Ann Bunka, chair of the RDCK Joint Resource Recovery Committee. "In determining a balance between these two primary sources of funds for waste and recycling services the RDCK Board must consider many different financial, environmental, and practical factors."