I recently praised British Columbia’s product stewardship approach to solid waste. Well, the province is way behind the Northwest states on a more basic test: charging residents for trash collection in proportion to how much (nonrecyclable) trash they put out.
Well, Vancouver is finally doing what many cities in US Cascadia did a decade ago, as the Vancouver Sunreports. The new garbage-pricing scheme goes into effect in January. The Sun writes:
[Residents will] be asked to decide whether they want a 75-, 120-, 180-, 420- or 360-litre can for their garbage. Those who don’t tell the city what they want will get a 180-litre size, the closest to the current two-can standard for each house.
It will cost more to get the same volume of garbage taken away. Single-family residences now pay $92 a year for garbage pickup. The fee for a 180-litre can will be $110.
However, people who typically put out less garbage will now have the option of choosing a smaller container and paying less, said van Vliet. About 20,000 households are expected to use the 75-litre size.
The new pricing system will give Vancouverites a stronger incentive to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
