Yellowknife (Feb 02/05) - Don't make people pay to get into the dump.

That's the message from 79 of 84 callers who responded to Yellowknifer's voice mail poll.

On Feb. 14, city councillors are expected to decide whether or not to implement new tipping fees that include a $5 charge to get into the dump.

Here are some of the callers' comments:

"It's the most retarded idea I've ever heard."

"I think it really makes sense."

"Pending Wendy Bisaro's comments: 'We've been getting a good deal at the dump.' Is that a bad thing?"

"I think you're going to find a lot of garbage around the town because of people refusing to pay. Then it's going to decrease the look of the city."

"People think the dump is free, but excuse me, everywhere else in Canada you pay for landfill as you use."

"My cousin in Washington tells me their beautiful backcountry roads are full of garbage piles that weren't there until their county started charging tipping fees."

"There's too much that is not being recycled. I think they'd better look at it from a different angle."

"I don't think we should be paying to drop off at the dump. We have done this for many, many years. Leave it just the way it is."

"It's simply amazing the city would charge people to go into the dump and remove stuff that's going to add to their eventual cost in terms of the dump. Way out of line."

"I think that if they have a $5 tipping fee to get in, they're going to find garbage all over the roads, highways, lakes - everywhere but in the dump. They should smarten up and get realistic."

"They should be encouraging more people to recycle the products coming out of the dump, and not charge people to get in there and recycle the stuff. They're definitely looking in the wrong direction."

"I think that if you put fees on it, it's just going to promote putting garbage on the side of the road or dumping it anywhere. Let's get away from these fees. It's going to cause more problems and I'm dead set against it."

"I'm afraid if the city goes through with the plan to charge $5 per time you go, a lot of people are going to start dumping their garbage in the bins around town. The city should think twice about their actions and not be so ridiculous."

"The mayor comparing us to Edmonton with their dump - you can't compare oranges to apples. We're not like Edmonton or Alberta. I don't think they should charge anything. It's recycling and should be encouraged."

"This is another blunder that the city council is undertaking. They are going to turn all of the side roads into the dump because people are not going to go to the dump and pay $5 to get rid of junk. You're going to find fridges along the road and all the other things, so I think this is a very bad idea."

"I think it would be terrible to charge a fee. It's a gathering place. People go there to get rid of their stuff in a productive way. As soon as your stuff touches the ground, somebody picks it up right away. It's good recycling. And who are they going to pay to sit there and take the cash? Are they gaining anything by doing it?"

"I do believe, like Doug Witty says, council should research more and do their homework. It is an okay idea, but it is a regressive step. People are wasteful, compared to other countries in the world, and charging more money for people who are trying to recycle just doesn't click."

"I'm saying no to the fee at the dump. I would rather they increase the monthly bill by a $1 for every household instead. It's straightforward, no extra work, you don't have to worry about collection at the dump. It's easier on everybody. People using the dump are scavengers trying to make do and can't afford the fee."

"They already charge an $11 solid waste fee. I don't know why they keep jacking up the price at the dump. People make their living collecting bottles out there. It's kind of ridiculous to make people pay $5. If they jack up the price, they'll probably find more garbage around the city than at the dump."

"We already have enough problems with properties collecting junk in their yards. It just creates additional fire hazards to neighbours and others on the block. As well, people will dump their junk somewhere else than pay $5. We will end up a widespread landfill the size of Yellowknife and on the highways as well. My vote is no, look at other alternatives.

"Some people just can't afford to dump their own garbage. For individuals who can't afford to dump their own garbage, it's ridiculous. What if someone dumps their garbage elsewhere because they can't afford the fee to dump their own garbage?"

"I've been picking at the dump for 15 years. I consider myself a recycler. Federal government, territorial, even city councillors want us to do our part in recycling. Now they want to charge us $5 to get into the dump each time? The streets are going to be littered more and they're going to find more garbage out in the Fiddler's Lagoon area because people aren't going to pay $5."

- Editor's Note: The phone poll is not a scientific survey.