The Town of Creighton is taking what it calls a proactive approach to extending the life of its landfill.
In the past, non-residents had accessed the landfill and disposed of their household waste at no charge.
Landfill staff had no way of identifying residents and non-residents and thus didn’t know whom to charge for the service.
The town’s new tag system changes that. Effective immediately, residents will be required to show landfill staff a tag that identifies them as living in the community, a privilege that grants them free disposal of household waste.
“We are looking to the future,” said Mayor Bruce Fidler. “Through the tag system and the recycling program, we are hoping to prolong the life of our landfill.
“The tags will make it easier to keep track of who is using the landfill.”
While there are no figures relating to non-resident usage of the landfill, Fidler said this has been a “problem at times.”
He suspects that non-residents were disposing of their household garbage at the landfill because there was no fee charged. However, that has also changed.
Creighton residents identified by their tag are allowed to dispose of household garbage for free and demolition material at a cost of $25 per load.
Non-residents will be charged $10 per truckload of household garbage and $40 per load of demolition material.
Creighton residents who wish to access the landfill are asked to visit the town office to pick up their tag during regular business hours. The tags will be issued free of charge once a resident provides their name, address, vehicle licence number and email address.
“This will also allow us a way of getting information on the number of non-residents using the site,” said Cindy Davis, assistant administrator for the town. “We are trying to determine the lifetime of our landfill.”
Residents have been made aware of the tag program through advertising and a community newsletter.
“Hopefully we will get everyone in the community to pick up a tag,” said Fidler.
