As Yellowknifers ring in the new year they’ll have to pay a little bit extra to drop off trash at the city dump.
At a council meeting last week, as first reported by NNSL, city councillors voted in favour of raising the residential tipping fee at the solid waste facility from $10 to $15 per vehicle. The new fee will start on January 1, 2021.
Councillor Robin Williams said he was “shocked” by the bylaw change calling it a “bit of a poke in the eye to residents” after councillors announced a 2.5 percent municipal tax increase for 2021.
“I think the real game is when it comes to the larger users, the biggest consumers of waste,” he said.
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Chris Greencorn, the city’s director of public works and engineering, said in the last fiscal year, about 12,000 vehicles paid the $10 tipping fee.
Mayor Rebecca Alty noted there is a cost to waste management, and neither the residential, commercial, or industrial user fees at the dump actually recover those costs. That means the city has to use tax dollars to offset the costs.
“We’re still not charging the full amount for garbage and so those who aren’t using the solid waste facility are making up the difference still for those who are,” she explained.
Councillors Steve Payne and Julian Morse spoke in favour of the user fee increase saying it was “fair” and that residents could choose to reduce their waste if they don’t want to pay the fee.
The motion passed with councillors Williams and Rommel Silverio voting in opposition.
