Greater Vernon Regional Diversion and Disposal Facility (photo credit: Vernon Matters)

By Kevin Rothwell

Residential and commercial still free

Landfill loophole closed for property development waste

Apr 22, 2021 | 6:30 AM

Abuse of the Greater Vernon and Armstrong diversion and disposal facilities (DDF) by contractors dumping huge loads of material from land clearing of properties has resulted in bylaw changes and fees.

All North Okanagan Regional District (RDNO) landfills have accepted residential and commercial yard waste free of charge since 2016.

Since January 1, 2019 there has been a charge for ‘Land Clearing and Property Development Waste’ described as grindable organic waste generated from land clearing and property development activities, including, but not limited to shrubs and tree limbs, trunks and stumps.

With an increase in development, RDNO staff started noticing dump trucks and 40 yard roll-off bins were delivering land clearing material to the yard waste drop off area.

“On an number of occasions, confrontations between DDF staff and DDF customers have occurred when the staff member concluded that a load appeared to meet the definition of ‘Land Clearing and Property Development Waste’ based on the type of material in the load (full trees and shrubs with root balls that appear to have been removed by heavy equipment, multiple loads hauled by the same vehicle in a short period of time etc.) but the customer insisted that the material was yard and garden waste,” Manager DDF Operations, Dale Dalallanko reported to the RDNO board.

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RDNO will eliminate the land clearing and property development waste category, and replace it with yard and garden waste -bulk, including a fee or $41/tonne with a $6.00 minimum charge effective July 1, 2021, which is the same fee those types of loads should have been paying.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District charges $80/tonne for property development waste.

“We didn’t want to be seen to be implementing a higher fee, we just simplified the application of that type of fee. We also wanted to be somewhat proactive in discouraging material coming in from out of region, particularly coming from Salmon Arm and going to Armstrong, and we think now there is less of an incentive to haul from out of region,” Dalallanko said.

Tandem and single axle dump trucks and large roll off bins will have to use the scale and pay a fee.

There will continue to be free drop off for commercial and residential yard and garden waste, like grass and plant clippings and tree prunings. Single and tandem axle dump trailers, like the type often used by yard and lawn companies, will be able to continue using the yard and garden waste drop off.