Both the Matilda and Williamsburg waste disposal sites have a limited lifespan, and South Dundas township officials want the residents of South Dundas to do what they can to prolong the life of these waste disposal sites.
One way to prolong the lifespan of the waste disposal sites is to reduce the weekly two bag limit down to one bag weekly, but South Dundas council is not willing to take that step …yet.
At the October 31 special meeting, council spoke at length about the need for the public to be educated on the use of the sites and the impact misuse will have on the community.
Presently, South Dundas pays almost $40,000 a month for garbage and recycling pickup. Officials warn that amount could easily double, or more, when South Dundas no longer has access to its own waste disposal sites and that day could come within the next few years.
Based on the current deposition rate, the anticipated date the Matilda waste disposal site will reach full capacity is 2015, and the Williamsburg site will reach full capacity in 2017.
“We as residents need to do our share for the environment,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds. He believes if each resident improves their own waste management they will easily reduce their waste to about one bag weekly, which is where the municipality wants to set the limit within the next few years.
The province of Ontario sets the recycling target at about 60 percent of waste being diverted from landfill, but South Dundas is far from that, diverting less than 20 percent from landfill through its recycling programs.
Council and staff agreed that a concentrated public education campaign is needed to promote recycling in South Dundas.
As part of a review of the municipality’s garbage bylaw, staff proposed eliminating cash transactions from taking place at the waste disposal sites through the implementation of a voucher system, however council was not happy with the proposed changes. Council opted to keep the sites operating, as is, with a cash system.
Other discussions at the October 31 meeting will likely result in a couple of changes to the existing garbage policy.
Residents will no longer be allowed to take two bags of household waste to the dump each week for free. The practice was put in place for those who happened to miss their roadside garbage pick up day. With the new policy, that will no longer be an option. Those wanting to take those bags to landfill can expect to pay.
Council asked staff to investigate the possibility of allowing those with documented medical incontinence issues to exceed the existing two bag limit.
Staff is also putting together a new fee schedule that will eliminate the separate rate category for farm waste. Farm waste will be treated as commercial waste.
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