Gordon Gillam was one of 126 local residents to attend an open house hosted by the Kitimat-Stikine regional district June 11 which laid out the future of garbage disposal and recycling for the area.
And like a number of those who attended, Gillam, a Lakelse Lake homeowner, was curious as to how much that future will cost him.
Gillam said he already pays a lot for garbage disposal and wonders by how much that bill will rise.
“They should have rethought this back in ‘98,” Gillam said of the current plan to open a new landfill at Forceman Ridge.
Based on open house information, Gillam’s expenses will rise based on the ambitious plan to build this super-dump south of Lakelse Lake, convert the regional district’s Thornhill dump to a transfer station to organize recyclable material and material ultimately destined for the new dump, close down the City of Terrace’s own dump up Lakelse Lake Road and put in place a robust residential and business recycling program.
Regional district works and services manager Roger Tooms said the ultimate tax bill depends upon what model is chosen.
A parcel tax, in which each property owner pays the same, could mean some homeowners will pay less than they are now compared to a system based on the values of individual properties, he said.
The broad picture involves cost sharing between the City of Terrace, the regional district and First Nations governments. Planners are forecasting the cost of building the Forceman Ridge project at upwards of $6 million with the Thornhill transfer station cost pegged at approximately $500,000.
That cost will be buffered by $4.8 million from the federal government but some of that money will also help pay for a landfill project in New Hazelton.
Over 15 years Forceman Ridge will cost Terrace $550,000 per year; the rural areas surrounding Terrace $361,060 per year; and $52,000 for First Nations.
A key part of the new waste plan is boosting recycling, currently handled by a private contractor in Thornhill by pick up or drop off, by the Encorp Pacific outlet in Terrace, and by various businesses who provide drop off facilities for items such as light bulbs and batteries.
Exact costs for a curbside pickup recycling service will need to be worked out.
And starting next year producers of goods will become more responsible for the recycling of packaging, meaning costs connected with that will have to be determined as well. It also means more material going into the recycling stream and less material ending up in the dump.
City public works director Rob Schibli said the current cost for garbage pick up for a single family dwelling within the city is two dollars a week, a figure that will probably double in upcoming years. Businesses are responsible for their own garbage pickup.
A study done by Golder Associates found that curbside pick-up would cost $20 a month for Thornhill and area residents.
The regional district’s Tooms stressed the need for a buy-in from all local governments.
“Whatever happens to the City of Terrace we want to be happening in the regional district,” said Roger Tooms, speaking to the need to harmonize waste management.
In the meantime, the city learned late last week that a provincial recycling association will give it between $32 and $40 per house per year to go toward a recycling program. If the city decides to go with curb side recycling it will have to work it into its regular garbage pickup and other waste management programs.