Burnaby and other Lower Mainland municipalities are paying more this year to dump garbage at waste transfer and disposal stations.
The fee increase is part of Metro Vancouver's strategy to get residents to separate their trash, putting yard trimming and compost in the appropriate bins, according to a press release from the regional government.
Taxpayers are not expected to pay more, however, as the increase is expected to be offset by a lower quantity of garbage, the release stated.
"The low fees for green waste will reward the municipalities and businesses that are doing the most to get organics and other resources out of the garbage," said Greg Moore, chair of Metro Vancouver's waste management committee, in the release.
The garbage tipping fee that municipalities and disposal companies pay increased from $97 to $107 per tonne on Jan. 1.
The green waste tipping fee is $63 per tonne, the same as last year. The tipping fee for clean, untreated wood waste is the same.
"We've heard, loud and clear, that the public's first priority is to reduce the amount of garbage we need to deal with," Moore said. "Seventy per cent of our waste should be recycled by 2015, which is up from the 55 per cent we recycle now."
Minimum fees for small loads and peak hour rates will not change at the transfer and disposal stations this year, according to the release, and there is no charge for separated recyclable materials.
