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Garbage bag tags set to rise in Oxford County

Starting July 1, 2014 it will cost $2 to place a bag of garbage at the curb in Oxford County.

The increase, from $1.50 to $2, was approved by Oxford County Council in December 2013, during the 2014 budget process.

Bag tags purchased prior to July 1 at $1.50 per tag will still be honoured. Until July 1, vendors may limit customer purchases to 20 tags per visit.

The increase is meant to bring the revenue received from the sale of bag tags closer to the actual cost of picking up and disposing of curbside garbage annually. The increased revenue stream from bag tags means fewer municipal tax dollars will be needed for Waste Management operations.

“While this is an increased cost at the point of purchase, at the same time it means fewer tax dollars will be used to subsidize the true cost of waste disposal," said Rob Walton, director, Public Works, in a media release. "It is also hoped the increase will be an extra incentive for users to increase their recycling, which will reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill."

Oxford residents are encouraged to consider composting organic waste, where possible, as a way to reduce the amount of garbage they have to put out to the curb.

"In the end, those who recycle more and find ways to reduce their household waste," said Walton, "will be rewarded by paying less. This is also a step in the right direction for further extending the life of our landfill.”

QUICK FACTS

* An independent assessment found that in Oxford County 49 per cent of available blue box materials are not being recycled. Provincial studies have shown that blue box recycling can be increased by 9 per cent just by providing residents with an additional collection bin.

* A decrease in garbage tonnage and an increase in recycling have expanded the original life expectancy of the landfill site at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility in Salford from 2014 to 2044, leaving 30 years of landfill space remaining.

* Since 2006, garbage tonnage to the landfill has decreased by 50,000 tonnes.

Distroscale

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