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In an effort to put the city on par with other Canadian municipalities, and shrink the city's solid waste fund deficit, City Hall is proposing residents pay a $5 entry fee at the landfill, whether they have anything to dump or not.
Proposed fee increases
Residential:
Commercial:
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Non-commercial dump users currently pay nothing to visit the landfill, except when discarding used oil tanks.
The gate toll is just one of a number of proposed tipping fee increases city council is looking at. Some commercial rates may be going up by more than 200 per cent.
"The dump is getting full, while at the same time another one will need to be opened," said Mayor Gord Van Tighem.
"Both of those are expensive, plus operating it and maintaining it is expensive. So we've moved to the philosophy of user-pay."
According to administration, the amount of garbage entering the landfill, from both commercial and residential users, has shot up 33 per cent since 2001. They predict the solid waste fund will be in the hole by $131,000 at year-end, even with this year's $1 increase to the $10 currently charged to each household for the solid waste levy.
Van Tighem said the tipping fee increases will bring Yellowknife on par with rates charged by other Western Canadian cities like Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta. He said the city should have hiked tipping fees years ago.
"We've been talking about it for five years," said Van Tighem.
If council accepts City Hall's recommendations, besides the $5 entry fee, residents will have to pay $35 to dump an old fridge, $4 for every discarded auto battery, $4 per tire less than 20 inches and $8 per tire greater than 20 inches.
Commercial users could pay more, too: demolition waste jumping to $40 per tonne from $22 per tonne. Dumping contaminated soil will cost $60 per tonne instead of $20; and junking an old car will go up to $100 from $25.
Administration predicts the tipping fee increases will generate $300,000 a year in extra revenue by 2006. They propose the new rates should be made effective July 1.
Needless to say, initial reaction from regular dump users polled - both residential and commercial alike - was not entirely favourable.
"I think that's just kind of stupid," said Markham Breitbach, who says he visits the dump at least once a week, sometimes to unload but mostly just to see if there's anything interesting that might be worth salvaging.
Breitbach said if the city intends to charge him $5 every time he goes to the dump, he will probably be visiting a whole lot less.
"Paying money to pick up stuff people are trying to throw out?" he said.
"I think the city should encourage people to recycle stuff, not discourage it."
Developer Les Rocher said the user fees and levies charged out by the city are becoming excessive, making it increasingly more expensive to do business.
Developers and construction companies may be particularly hard hit by tipping fee increases because they generally produce the most construction waste.
"There are so many levies and other forms of taxation imposed on us," said Rocher.
"All these other fees are a form of taxation that used to be handled on our regular taxes."
John Oldfield, who owns Kavanaugh Brothers waste removal, said he expected tipping fees to go up, and supports a user fee on residential users - as long as they're bringing a load of garbage in - but isn't sure landfill staff will be able to enforce it.
"My biggest beef with the city is that they're inconsistent in having somebody in the booth," said Oldfield.
"We come along to the scales and we get charged, and then some of the other contractors and public know when there's no one in the booth, so they just make sure they come at that time."
Walt Humphries, who writes the Tales from the Dump column for Yellowknifer, and has been a long-standing critic of the city's landfill policies, believes the $5 fee is just another attempt by the city to eliminate scavenging.
He predicts people will start surreptitiously leaving their junk at the landfill gate or merely toss it off at the side of the road, rather than pay to use the dump.
"If you've got a fridge and you want to get rid of it, why would you pay $35 when you can go Saturday morning before 10 a.m., and just throw it at the gate?" said Humphries.
"I think that's what a lot of people are going to do. I think this is a really regressive step."
There was little talk of controversy when city council met Monday afternoon to discuss the recommendation to raise tipping fees. The four councillors present - Wendy Bisaro, Dave McCann, Doug Witty and Blake Lyons - appeared to approve of the new rates, although the discussion was brief.
Witty was the only one to speak of "rate shock."
He said city council will have to do its homework to ensure the public understands why the rates are likely going up.
"Overall, I can support what's coming up here," said Witty.
"(But) we need to do some public education on why we're doing this."
Van Tighem said there will be "some reaction every time there's change." As for the future of scavenging at the landfill, he expects that it will continue in some form for the foreseeable future.
"We've been doing everything to keep it allowable," said Van Tighem.
"It's a tradition here. Until there's some significant changes, I don't see it going anywhere."
