Despite the City of Burnaby's recycling and composting initiatives, residents are throwing out just as much garbage as they were in 2008.
Though Metro Vancouver's disposal charges have increased by 50 per cent to encourage reducing garbage during the past four years, according to a report from Burnaby's engineering and finance departments, Burnaby residents have not decreased the amount of waste disposed in the city's garbage toters.
The City of Burnaby is attempting to change that by implementing a "use more pay more, use less pay less" approach, according to the report.
For 2012, the city offered residents with garbage toter pick-up - primarily single or two-family homes - the chance to use 120-lb. toters and receive a $40 discount. Those who used the regular 108lb. toters paid no fees. Those who used the medium 240-lb. toters paid $117.50 for the year, and those who used the large 360 lb. toters paid $290.
The city did not charge any fees for yard waste disposal, to encourage less garbage, the report added.
Council approved plans to introduce higher garbage toter disposal fees in 2013 to curb the large amount of trash collected in the city.
Next year, the small toter fees should be set at $25, the regular 180-lb. toter fees at $75, the medium toter fees at $205 and the large toter fees at $385, the report proposed. Council adopted the recommendation at Monday night's meeting.
The city also plans to offer residents to exchange their toters for another size at no cost from Jan. 1 until Mar. 15, when fees for the year are due. After that, there will be a $50 service fee to exchange toters.
In 2010, the City of Burnaby signed on with the region's goal to divert 70 per cent of waste from landfills by 2015.
While Metro Vancouver is not increasing its tipping fees next year, the City of Burnaby has estimated tipping fees will increase by 41 per cent by 2016.
The tipping fee for 2013 will be $107 per tonne, the same as last year, according to a press release from Metro Vancouver.
The disposal fee for green waste is also not changing and will be $63 per tonne, according to the release, except at the North Shore Transfer Station, where it's $71 per tonne.
Metro Vancouver is also decreasing its mattress recycling fee to $15 per unit from $20 per unit, in hopes of reducing illegal dumping, the release stated.
