The City of Terrace is ramping up its crackdown on residents who put too much material that can’t be recycled into their large blue containers.
Although the city has been sending warning letters since its combination curbside garbage/recycling program began in 2017, it has now formalized a system of ever-increasing penalties for repeat offenders.
That’s to be accompanied by continual efforts to tell people what can be recycled and what can not, said city communications officer Tyler Clarke.
“The introduction of specific fees for waste offences will assist in communicating the importance of observing the curbside pickup guidelines,” he said.
City workers will now target repeat offenders by examining the contents of their blue containers prior to being dumped into collection trucks.
Warning letters will be sent three times followed by a $25 fine for the fourth offence, $50 for the fifth offence, $75 for the sixth offence and $100 for every offence thereafter.
The city risks being fined itself by a provincial agency called Recycle B.C. for having a contamination rate of more than three per cent.
It has never achieved that target and in some years was sending material away containing 10 per cent of unrecyclable material.
Although the city has never been fined, it did work out a plan with Recycle B.C. in 2017 to gradually bring down the level of contamination.
“The contamination remediation plan set out reducing targets over 12 month time frame to move from 10 per cent to seven per cent and we have met those targets, but need to keep making steady progress to get down to the three per cent,” said Clarke.
On average, the city sends out 50 warning letters a week.