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(Posted 7
a.m., Nov. 4)
Environment
committee proposes major changes to garbage, recycling rates
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
Ottawa's urban
ratepayers face a major increase in their curbside waste collection fees
if city council adopts to a proposal unveiled by the planning and environment
committee on Tuesday.
Under the current
system, the cost of waste collection and the blue and black box recycling
program is shared by residential and commercial ratepayers alike. The cost
of the new organic waste reduction program was supposed to be shared by
every ratepayer as well, but the planning and environment committee has
other ideas.
In the name of
fairness, they believe only residents who receive the service should pay
for it, so they want to take the blue and black box recycling program off
the commercial and industrial tax bills. They oppose charging rural residents
for the green box program for the same reason.
All of which
means residents who receive curbside collection service for recyclables
could end up paying a lot more than they do currently. At present, every
household pays a curbside collection fee of $86 a year.
Should city council
approve the committee's recommendation, non-rural residential ratepayers
will pay an additional $41 a year for the blue and black box program and
$68 a year for the green bin program for a total increase of $109 a year
over and above the $86 they currently pay. Conversely, rural residents will
see an $11 reduction in their tax bills.
“The proposed
green bin and recycling service fees are a fair and transparent way for
the city to recover the costs of these programs. Homeowners and businesses
who do not receive these services would not have to pay for them,"
says committee chair Peter Hume.
Besides the proposed
changes in the application of curbside pick-up rates, the committee is also
proposing to hire five inspecters who will randomly check people's garbage
to ensure that they are not disposing of recyclables and organic waste in
their regular garbage.
The proposed
changes will be debated during the final week of budget deliberations in
late January.
(This story
was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local
business partners.)
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