If you’re planning on getting some spring cleaning done in the next few weeks, you should know that there are changes coming to the Whitehorse Waste Management Facility.
Starting April 1, fees for waste will now be determined by weight, including household waste and recycling.
According to a notice sent out by the city on March 20, there are also new fees for waste being introduced on April 1.
Household waste and residential recyclable materials will be $132.50 per tonne, or $0.06 per pound. Organics, brush and clean wood will be $72.50 per tonne or $0.03 per pound. Construction waste, metals and bulky items will be $143 per tonne, or $0.07 per pound. Mattresses will have a $20 surcharge, and freezers, fridges and other freon appliances a $50 surcharge, on top of their weighted fee of $0.07 per pound.
Mixed loads will be charged under the highest applicable fee, as per the notice. Mixed loads and waste loads under 45 kilos will be charged a minimum fee of $6 — although no such minimum fee applies for recyclables or organics if they are brought separately.
Household hazardous waste can still be disposed for free every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. if it is brought in separately.
People bringing in waste of any sort will have to go to the weigh station to be weighed upon arriving at the waste management centre, and turn right if they are dropping off household hazardous waste or using the recycling depot. They will then loop back around to the weight station and be weighed once more and charged applicably — the exit which previously existed near the recycling depot will no longer be in use.
The waste management facility, operated by the city, opened to household recycling after the closure of the free public recycling drop-off at Raven Recycling in fall of last year. The program is set to end this fall, as the Yukon’s Extended Producer Responsibility program for packaging and paper products is set to begin on Nov. 1.
According to the release, the fees are being updated to “achieve fee consistency across all users and support the City’s Waste Management Cost Recovery Policy.” The city recovers the costs of providing solid waste services by charging those who use those services, as opposed to using revenues generated by property taxes.
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
