Despite an increase in waste tipping fees going from $59 a tonne last year to $164 in July of this year, fees for residents in Bay St. George South communities are only going up $20.
That’s according to Rita Legge, who was acclaimed as chair of the Bay St. George South Area Development Association and the Bay St. George South Local Service District for another term at an annual general meeting on Sunday.
She said there were four members of the Western Regional Service Board, which is responsible for waste management in Western Newfoundland, at the meeting including; Josh Carey, chair; Barbara Barter, vice-chair; Cynthia Downey, Bay St. George sub-region representative; and Jason King, chief administrative officer.
Barter gave a presentation on the process, noting the increase in fees that will come into effect on July 1 of this year when waste will be shipped from the St. George’s regional transfer site to Norris Arm.
She also explained about type of bags that would have to be used, with the blue-tinted for recycling and the transparent for other items.
Legge said Bay St. George South will be getting into a two-stream garbage collection and while they have some residents who are already composting, they are hoping through some type of process in the future, to cut down on the amount of compostable material that is taken to the transfer station in St. George’s.
“We will certainly be encouraging individuals to get into composting if they’re not already,” she said.
Legge said the local service district was already aware of the impending increase in tipping fees and that their estimate is an increase of about $30,000 a year resulting in the $20 increase in fee from $240 to $260, which she noted also includes fire protection.
She said the community has a separate contact for roadside pickup of waste and they recently renewed that contract for another year.
“We’re good with that now and we’ll look at what we want to do in the future as a new board,” she said of those elected on Sunday.
An election will take place at their first meeting next week to decide the various other positions on the board.
Bay St. George South Area Development Association/Local Service District members:
Rita Legge, president
Nicole Heron
Susan Hulan
Eric Legge
Rose Hulan
Myra Quilty
Souvoy Brake
Florence Gillis
Members at Large:
Wade Alley
Lloyd Harnum
Joanie Barry
Monica McGrath
