" $ 5 6 " - * 5 4 r / & 8 4 CAN THE CITY STILL AFFORD FREE DUMPING AT THE LANDFILL?
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
The report noted that the Spring free access weekend could see as many as 1000 to 2000 people coming to the landfill during the two-day period to dump their trash while the Fall weekend event last year saw about 1000 people show up to dump garbage at no charge. “Since the landfill site was never designed to accommodate large volumes of traffic in a compressed timeframe,” stated the report, “the site experiences lineups to process clients, which often results in user and staff frustration, and numerous complaint calls to staff and elected officials.” The free access weekends also requires assigning extra staff from other departments, like emergency services, to the landfill during the events to both deal with the traffic and also deal with the extra-large amount of garbage that ends up at the site during the two days. The Spring Free Access weekend was cancelled because of the pandemic. The Fall event took place as scheduled because the pandemic restrictions on non-essential travel were eased. Fall cleanup The annual Fall Cleanup allows residents to put out a limited amount of unwanted items and garbage at the curb or roadside for collection at no extra charge. The event takes place a couple weeks prior to the October free access weekend at the landfill. The city rents two garbage trucks and their operators from a local company for the Fall Cleanup and also assigns 17 public works employees and 12 municipal vehicles
to collection routes throughout the city. The report noted that the Fall Cleanup takes about five days to complete but last year’s event took about eight days to finish “due to large volumes and high participation rates.” The city also had to rent three tri-axle trucks to cart away all the unwanted items and trash people put out for collection. Concerns The report noted three concerns about the present “free dumping” weekends and Fall Cleanup programs. First is the Bourget landfill is not set up for handling more than 120 to 150 vehicles a day on its weigh scale. This means long lineups sometimes during normal landfill operation days. During the Spring and Fall free access weekends, staff assigned to the landfill have to let vehicles go in without weighing in first. “As a result,” the report noted, “no data is captured on the (total) weight of this dis- posed weight during these two weekends.” There is also concern about possible pandemic health safety protocols with the large number of people who show up during the free access weekends. Last year’s free access weekend during October also saw “aggressive behavior” from some residents who were frustrated by the long wait in line at the landfill. The Free Access weekends result in about $3000 for each weekend in staffing hours, including overtime. The Fall Cleanup program costs the cithy more than $56,000 in truck rentals and staff time.
Clarence-Rockland council and staff may be looking at doing a review of the “free dumping” policy for the Bourget landfill and the annual Fall Cleanup event. Council received a report from its envi- ronmental services department proposing a review of the “free access” weekends for residents to the Bourget landfill and also the annual Fall Cleanup program that the city manages. One of the recommendations in the report is to cancel the April “free access” weekend for this year and have staff look into the feasibility of streamlining the municipal policy for the free access weekends and the Fall Cleanup. Free dumping policy Since 1998 when the Town of Rockland amalgamated with Clarence Township to become the City of Clarence-Rockland, there has been a municipal policy that allowed two free access weekends for residents to the Bourget landfill and also an annual Fall Cleanup program. Participation in both these programs is limited to residents and not businesses. The free access weekends took place in April and October and allowed residents during each two-day period to drop off gar- bage, including white metal item like old stoves or freezers, old or broken furniture, used tires, and other items, without getting charged tipping fees.
The report recommended cancellation of the April Free Access weekend this year, and that council have administration review and assess the existing policy for free access days at the landfill and also the Fall Cleanup program. Council would receive a more detailed report, with recommendations, during one of its April sessions. Un rapport préliminaire au conseil municipal de Clarence-Rockland recommande une révision des politiques actuelles permettant aux résidents de déposer gratuitement leurs déchets à la décharge de Bourget. —photo d’archives
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