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Curbside collection costs could climb in new year

Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
By Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
December 31st, 2021

The cost of curbside waste recovery in the city is likely to be going up in the new year.

In its budget discussions Dec. 17 it was revealed that city council will likely be bumping the cost for curbside waste recovery in 2022 by $25 to fund the organics diversion program.

That means the estimated cost per household for curbside service (including organics) in 2022 will be $105 (not including the capital costs).

The important thing is that the fledgling organics waste diversion program needs to be sustainable, said city manager Kevin Cormack during the meeting with city council.

“So we are building reserves so we can replace them when the need comes up,” he said. “That is what is really driving the fee increase.”

The surplus is expected to go to the recycling reserve to fund capital components (pre-treatment device).

Overall, there is expected to be a $132,000 increase to the service budget in 2022.

In setting the Environmental Health service budget, it has been proposed to not increase the per-bag tag fee for 2022. Other factors being considered into the budget are the regional district maintaining tipping fees at $125 per tonne in 2022.

Budget bits

• Increases to wages will be based on previous years actuals and the two per cent bargained wage increase;

• an inflationary increase of 1.75 per cent has been applied to the operational expense budget from 2021; and

• new for 2022 is the inclusion of administration and education expenses related to the organics diversion program.

Source: City of Nelson

Recycling picks up

On the recycling collection side, one of the things the city experienced — based on data from January to June 2020 to the same period in 2021 — was how much recycling the city picked up by tonnage of the new blue bins versus the blue bags, said city chief financial officer Colin McClure.

Recycling tonnage collection increased by 41 per cent, he said, which is a staggering amount, and it was related to several factors.

“If you decide if you want to go down to one of the transfer stations, you have to separate it out; if you want to use the blue bins, you can co-mingle it,” McClure said.

The city also opened up the opportunity for cardboard to be recycled curbside, if it was tied up.

Because the city is handling so much recycling it now has to go out to Grohman to dump the truck more often, which incurs more time, McClure told council.

Categories: General

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