Kamloops, BC – November 23, 2023 – The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Board of Directors has approved an amendment to Solid Waste Management Facilities Bylaw 2681 to amend user fees for several waste streams, which will come into effect on January 1, 2024.
This will be the first update in several years to tipping fees for the affected waste streams, which will better reflect current costs of disposal for many materials while keeping rates in line with surrounding regional districts. The TNRD will continue to offer one of the lowest rates for bagged garbage for residents who are hauling it themselves.
Tipping fees are used to help operate the TNRD solid waste network, which consists of 27 facilities that require staffing, maintenance, hauling waste to destination landfills, and monitoring and post-closure costs of landfill sites. Further, the 2018 Regional Solid Waste Management Plan recommends using differential tipping fees to encourage diversion of waste from landfills.
Waste streams that will see changes to tipping fees effective January 1, 2024, are listed below.
- Refuse (Garbage), Noxious Weeds, Small Dead Animals, and Commercial Recycling:
- Increase from $80 per tonne to $90/t at Eco-Depots
- Increase from $10 per cubic metre to $11/m3 at Transfer Stations
- These rates have not been amended since January 2015, and these modest increases will better align with increased costs of disposal.
- Please Note: Bagged garbage will continue to be charged $1 per bag for loads under 50 kilograms at Eco-Depots, and $1 per bag for loads under $5 by load size at Transfer Stations.
- Comingled Demolition, Renovation and Construction (DRC), Burned Material, and Land-Clearing Waste:
- Increase from $160 per tonne to $250/t at Eco-Depots
- Increase from $20 per cubic metre to $35/ m3 at accepting Transfer Stations
- This increase is more substantial, as comingled DRC often contains materials that could be disposed of for a reduced tipping fee (such as asphalt shingles and clean wood waste) or for free (such as metal). A TNRD waste composition study conducted in 2021 showed that 22% of the DRC waste stream is compostable organics, including clean wood waste, and 5.2% is asphalt shingles.
- Concrete/ Asphalt:
- Increase from $20 per tonne to $30/t at Eco-Depots
- Increase from $20 per cubic metre to $35/ m3 at Transfer Stations
- TNRD began collecting concrete and asphalt as part of its diversion program in 2013. In 2022, the TNRD began processing concrete for the first time, and costs were substantially higher than anticipated. An increase in tipping fees for this material will ensure that these fees cover the cost of transportation and processing.
- Asbestos Containing Material:
- Increase from $230 per tonne to $300/t (only accepted at TNRD Landfills)
- Special handling is required for asbestos abatement at landfills, including disposal application and approval, PPE for staff, and direct burial and coverage at accepting sites. Recently, WorkSafe BC has introduced mandatory training and licensing for asbestos abatement. As a result of these increased regulatory requirements, it is likely that accepting landfill sites will see an increase in confirmed asbestos loads. This increase in fees will help to cover additional costs.
TNRD Solid Waste & Recycling is a regional service which includes all 10 Electoral Areas and 10 out of 11 Member Municipalities.
The TNRD solid waste service is mainly funded by taxation, at approximately 70%, and the remaining 30% is funded primarily by tipping fees and service agreements. Tipping fee revenues contribute to the TNRD solid waste service, and any increases reduce the amounts required to be collected through property taxation.
TNRD solid waste facilities accept many materials free of charge that can be recycled and diverted from landfills, instead of being disposed of with regular garbage. These materials include household recycling, yard waste, mattresses and box springs, car batteries, tires, used oil, scrap metal, propane tanks, electronics, fridges, freezers and water coolers, clothing, paint, and small electrical appliances. To find a full list of accepted materials at each TNRD Eco-Depot and Transfer Station, visit: tnrd.ca/acceptedmaterials.
Media Contact:
Adriana Mailloux, Manager of Solid Waste & Recycling
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
Tel.: 250 377-6294
Email: amailloux@tnrd.ca