By Sarah Payne The Tri-City News

Jul 27 2007

Coming to a Port Moody mailbox near you are tips on how to comply with a new garbage ban that comes into effect early next year.

Starting Jan. 1, 2008 PoMo residents, along with those in the rest of the GVRD, will have to comply with the new GVRD waste disposal ban or risk having their garbage rejected curbside.

Garbage bins containing yard and garden waste, recyclables, gypsum wallboard or household hazardous waste won’t be picked up.

(Yard waste and recyclables will continue to be picked up if they’re separated into designated containers.)

The GVRD will also add a 50% surcharge on to the tipping fee for waste loads delivered to transfer stations that are found to contain such banned materials.

Council agreed to amend the solid waste bylaw to support the GVRD’s Zero Waste Challenge and the new ban. The existing bylaw already requires owners and tenants to separate recyclables and yard waste from solid waste but the new ban will reinforce that by rejecting any improperly sorted items.

Private haulers for multi-family complexes and businesses will also be affected, and would likely pass on any extra charges to tenants and customers, a city staff report stated.

Residents ignoring the ban could result in violations and 50% surcharges being imposed on the city; surcharge payments would further increases expenses to the solid waste budget and may increase the solid waste utility rate paid by residents, the report noted.

“It sounds onerous but it can be done if you’re willing to take the steps,” Coun. Shannon Watkins said of the stringent regulations.

“Yes, it’s being imposed, but it’s the right thing to do,” added Coun. Meghan Lahti. “We could say it’s up to the GVRD but we need to step up to the plate.”

The cost of communicating the ban and educating residents and private contractors will be absorbed in the 2007 solid waste and recycling budget.