With costs rising, fees and charges for tipping will increase to reduce unneeded waste.
The increases will happen next year and are coming after amendments were made in June to the Comox Strathcona Waste Management Service Tipping Fee and Solid Waste Disposal Regulation Bylaw.
Comox Strathcona waste management says the changes are being applied to create higher enforcement levels for contaminated loads.
Senior manager Vivian Schau says there are ways to reduce the costs.
“We understand that increased costs for residents and businesses are never ideal but necessary to keep up with rising costs to balance the solid waste budget,” said Schau.
“To reduce your tip fee, we are encouraging customers to sort [their] materials before coming to the landfill and divert recyclables which will save you both time and money.
“The goal of this tip fee update is to encourage behaviour change aimed at reducing waste and thereby extending the life of our landfill, which ultimately saves money for all taxpayers.”
Changes range from as little as $5 per tonne for municipal solid waste ($145 instead of $140) and as high as $130 for refrigerants not covered by Stewardship Materials ($145 instead of $15).
The highest fee per tonne is for asbestos-containing material at $275 per tonne up from $250.
A full price breakdown can be found on the services’ website.
The violations and penalties portion of the bylaw was also updated. It will allow the service to recover the full costs associated with the proper disposal of waste received against the bylaw.
They can also impose fines for breaking the bylaw.
