It will cost more for some people to access Estevan’s landfill, although the size of the increase isn’t yet known.
Estevan city council received a report at their Feb. 8 meeting regarding the landfill’s tipping fees, as well as disposal costs for refrigeration units, and mattresses and box springs.
Council tabled the report to a future meeting. Mayor Roy Ludwig wanted to have all members in attendance, and Coun. Greg Hoffort was away.
Norm Mack, who is the manager for public works’ roads and drainage division at the City of Estevan, said the city wants to recover more costs for these services.
Ludwig added the city has done a lot of work at the landfill so that it meets environmental standards, and the rate changes will recoup those expenses.
“We’ve got an environmental company in there now testing to make sure we meet all of the parametres, which we have been, for ground water testing,” said Ludwig. “We also resculpted the landfill because the province thought, and rightly so, that it needed some work.”
Fencing has been added around the perimeter, and the mayor believes anyone who visits the landfill will notice a difference.
The rate increases won’t impact average ratepayers taking normal garbage to the landfill. It’s going to affect those with heavy loads.
Mack noted in his report that landfill tipping fees are currently $30 per tonne, and $40 per tonne if demolition is required, which is substantially lower than many other Saskatchewan communities. Weyburn, for example, is at $46 per tonne, and in Swift Current, it’s $50 per tonne.
Mack recommended the local rates should increase to $46 per tonne for both regular garbage and demolition, which is still at the low end of the scale. He noted tipping fees in Regina and Saskatoon are above $100 per tonne.
He said he wanted to avoid rate shock for people accessing the landfill.
“They’re already going from $30 to $46 (per tonne), and if the rate goes to $50 or $60 (per tonne), you might have a revolt on your hands,” said Mack.
As for refrigeration units, the city is currently charging $10 per refrigeration unit, which includes fridges, freezers and air conditioning units. The Landfill Act also requires staff to properly dispose of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The city is not removing CFCs from the cooling units, and Mack said that must change.
He recommended a rate increase from $10 to $30 per unit.
Mattresses and box springs are among the hardest items to dispose of, due to springs in the interior that are troublesome for landfill equipment, and cannot be compacted into the main garbage pile.
“Mattresses and box springs will wrap around heavy equipment wheels and axles, causing damage and lengthy maintenance to equipment,” Mack wrote in his report. “We are now … using our backhoe to dig pits and bury the mattresses.”
A mattress recycling program currently does not exist in Saskatchewan, and many communities now charge for mattresses at the landfill. Ludwig noted there is such a program that has been introduced in Ottawa.
Estevan currently doesn’t charge for mattresses, and Mack recommended a $10 fee per mattress or box spring, which will recover some of the associated costs.
“I’d like to see a recycling program start some time, and I’ll keep digging into that,” said Mack.
Ludwig believes the increases are sufficient.
“Although in some areas an increase is justified, we have to be careful that we don’t go over the top,” said Ludwig. “We have to look at the minimum we can justify, and not go too high.”
Coun. Brian Johnson said he has received a lot of complaints from the Rural Municipality of Estevan when landfill increases have occurred in the past, because people will dump their garbage on the outskirts of the city, rather than pay more to use the landfill.
Mack said public works staff members travel roads surrounding the city on a regular basis to clean up litter.
