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Garbage and Bear Attractants

I have got a couple of questions about the garbage regulations that will now be enforced. I think these qualify for $100 fines. Here is the rundown, from an email I got from city staff:

There are two aspects to the solid waste bylaw that will be enforced (as of September 4th):
1. Residents cannot store bear attractants
2. Residents cannot place their containers at the curb for collection prior to 4am from April 1st until November 30th.

From what I can gather from the email you received, if the resident's neighbour is storing garbage on their property and bears do come onto the property and rifle through it, charges can be laid based on the "attractants" section of the bylaw.

Another item of note, if you work shift or cannot for reasons of health take the garbage after 4am, then call city public works,  828  3461, and  ask to apply for the program through which city waste collectors will roll your bin out to the curb for you, and then roll it back. This is a free service. You might be asked if you have neighbors or friends who would be willing to help you before being enrolled in the program.

The debate around the council table centred around whether these bylaws actually have a effect in reducing the number of bears who stay in the city. The consensus was to evaluate the bylaws again in a years time or so and to possibly get rid of them if they are not working well.
 

Kamloops Garbage Collection Schedule...

Can be found here...

I was looking at my web stats and someone was looking for that information. Hope the link helps.

What Size Garbage Container Should You Lease...

This next couple of weeks, all houses in Kamloops will receive a flyer and an order form for containers that can be leased for the new garbage utility. The idea of containers, to me, makes sense because the size of container (choose from 4) determines how much you get charged for garbage collection. The more garbage you create, the more you pay.

We will get one free change of container, if the size you originally pick does not work out. A more detailed info sheet is here. In the spirit of summary, however, here is what I think is  the meat of the matter - in pictures. Again, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime with questions.

Garbage Utility will not "double tax" homeowners

I have been getting a few emails and comments about whether property taxes will be decreased with the new garbage utlity. They will. The garbage collection fees will simply be transferred to a new utlity bill homeowners will be receiving. Whether you pay more or less garbage collection fees is hard to say. It is a function of how much garbage you create ( basis of fees in new system) and how much your property is worth (basis of fees in old system).

Lots of questions and concerns about new Garbage Utility...

I support the new garbage utlity, approved by the past council, because it :

• is more fair to commercial property owners in that they will no longer be taxed for a service they don't receive.
• will charge people for garbage services according to the amount of waste they generate.

Still, there have been a lot of understandable concern about the new system, especially relating to the requirement for every house to have a wheeled container. People have told me they resent being required to have a container. Seniors have expressed concern about having to move containers to the curb and then back to their houses.

I think its important for people who have opinions about the new garbage system, either pro or con, to let me and other Councillors know what they think.  Some questions you might have on the new container requirement may be answered by this frequently asked questions page on the City web site.