The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A belt-tightening City of Flin Flon won't be picking up extra garbage as part of this year's spring clean-up. In years past the city would send workers to every property in the community to retrieve piles of debris, mounds of garbage bags and other trash accumulated over the winter and spring. There will be no such effort this year after city council decided at the committee level that the budgeted $30,000 could be better spent elsewhere. To assist residents cleaning up their properties, however, the city will waive non-commercial tipping fees at the landfill from May 17 to June 10 inclusive. Coun. Tim Babcock, deputy mayor, said the decision not to participate in the spring clean-up went beyond finances. He said the city's workforce is 'very shorthanded right now' and cannot easily be diverted from their normal duties. It's likely that many residents have been hoarding trash items for this year's spring clean-up in order to avoid the landfill tipping fees. That being the case, Coun. Babcock said it was anticipated this year's clean-up could have easily soared to $40,000 or $50,000 due to increased volume. He added that the city's research shows few communities offer a door-to-door spring pick-up program. In terms of tipping fees, Coun. Babcock said the city is looking at reevaluating the system so private individuals are charged $10 for their loads with higher fees reserved for contractors.
