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Westlock County sets $25 fee for second or replacement waste disposal permit

One councillor opposed, worried about people cheating the system
Westlock landfill web
County residents who want to dump garbage at the Westlock Regional Landfill or the four transfer stations have new rules to follow.

WESTLOCK — Westlock County councillors have agreed to issue a second waste disposal permit card for $25 plus GST to those who need to double up. 

The fee also applies to replacement cards. Both duplicates and replacement cards have the same ID number which is attached to the household. 

Coun. Lou Hall, the only one to oppose the motion at the April 13 meeting, said she was worried that people might cheat the system and get a second card from a neighbour rather than paying the $60 for a first card. 

“I do recommend a replacement card, there be a fee for a replacement card, but I'm having a little bit of a difficult time accepting getting a second one out to the same people on the same legal description,” Hall said. 

“I have my card and if my husband goes, he takes it, if I go, I make sure that I have it. I don’t want us to each have one. Normally, we use the same vehicle to haul garbage. It just seems a lot of work. And I don’t know the numbers of the people that have requested two for the same household. If it’s minimal, then maybe it’s a non-issue.” 

Jacolyn Tigert, the county’s manager of agriculture and environmental services, said “a handful or two” have asked for duplicate cards. 

“Their concerns are if they each have a vehicle and one takes the garbage one week and one takes the garbage the next week and then they forget this permit card. So it’s a matter of just having a card in each of the vehicles, that’s what their request was.” 

Coun. Isaac Skuban said that some farming operations in the county have multiple yard sites and multiple vehicles at each site, and he was contacted by residents asking about duplicate cards. 

“It’s kind of a convenience thing for them, I think. Sixty dollars is too much for them to have two cards, so for me $25 is a good compromise. If people do abuse it this year, we can look at it next year,” Skuban said. 

Currently, residents who want to dump garbage at the Westlock Regional Landfill or the transfer sites around the county must apply for a garbage disposal permit. A new first permit costs $60 and there are no weight limits currently in place — none of the four transfer sites have scales. 

Alternatively, residents can open an account with the Westlock Regional Waste Management Commission and pay by weight at the landfill only, according to the commission’s fee schedule. The transfer sites are owned and operated by the county and any garbage dumped there is paid for by the municipality once it reaches the landfill. 

The permit cards were instituted this year, in a move by the county to cut its costs and get rid of a portion of garbage subsidies. 

Andreea Resmerita, TownandCountryToday.com

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