SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknifers could be hit with a 20 per cent increase in their solid waste levy in the next few years if the city decides to expand its composting program.

A pile of organic waste, which will eventually be sold to the public as soil, decomposes at the solid waste facility on Oct. 17. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo

The $3.30 increase would bring the levy up to $19.80/month and would be implemented to pay for curbside collection of organic waste material, which would cost the city $150,000 in annual operating costs.

In addition to the increase in the solid waste levy, the city will also need a further $650,000 in order to purchase new roadside collection bins.

According to the city, the bins will be paid for by either a one time levy or by reducing the scope of other capital projects.

Chris Greencorn, director of public works, could not say how much the one time levy would be as it would depend on how council chose to pay for the bins. He added that any additional services to the city's garbage pickup, including curbside composting, would have to be approved during the city's upcoming budget discussions.

The city has already approved $750,000 for the building of a new organic waste facility in its 2014-2016 capital plan, with construction set to begin next summer.

Greencorn said it would be at least another year before the city began implementing curbside pickup.

Greencorn pointed out that the organic waste that is collected can be composted at the facility before eventually being sold back to the public.

"People love this stuff," said Greencorn, referring to the soil that was generated from the city's composting pilot project. "They're calling me all the time asking me when the next batch will be available."

The question is whether residents will want to see another increase in their solid waste levy in order to receive the benefits they generate.

The solid waste levy was already raised by $2 to $16.50 per month this past January.

In an e-mail, Carl Bird, director of corporate finance, stated that the recent hike in the solid waste levy was required to "account for increased costs related to dealing with recyclables, contaminated soil and other items."

He added that in the last year there "was a significant increase in the amount of liability the city had to accrue to account for closure and post-closure costs for the existing landfill."

Earlier this summer, the solid waste committee put forward a recommendation to reduce the hours of operation at the solid waste facility in an attempt to cut operating costs after it was revealed the city lost $25,000 due to a lack of Sunday revenue over the course of a year.

However, the initiative, which recommended closing the solid waste facility on Sundays between September and April, was shot down by council.

Even with the projected savings from that initiative, Greencorn said the facility would still operate at a deficit.

"That wouldn't even break us even," said Greencorn.

Mayor Mark Heyck said one of the benefits of implementing curbside composting is that it will extend the lifespan of the dump, thereby generating savings for the city in the long term.

If it is approved by council, Heyck said the city would likely look at a system where garbage and organic waste would be picked up on alternating weeks.

Heyck added that organic waste collection would only be implemented in single family homes.

Although multi-family units make up more than 60 per cent of the city's waste stream, their garbage collection is contracted out privately, said Heyck.

Heyck pointed out that the solid waste committee was keen to explore options for introducing composting programs to multi-family dwellings and suggested it was not out of the question in the future.

"What we could look at, potentially, is making the specialized compost, bins - the larger bins that were used in the composting pilot project - available to multi-family buildings that want to take advantage of it."

History of the solid waste levy

• 1996 - The Solid Waste Levy was established and set at $10 per unit per month to pay for a new baling unit at the solid waste facility
• 2005 - The levy was increased to $11.
• 2011 - The levy was increased to $14.50 to help pay down nearly $350,000 in debt accumulated by the solid waste facility
• 2013 - The levy was increased to $16.50 to cover rising costs of operating the solid waste facility

Source: City of Yellowknife

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