The cost of garbage tags in Kincardine is about to go up.
During council’s deliberations for the 2023 Operating Budget, it was decided that the cost of the tags would increase by $1 each, up from $2.50.
Councillor Bill Stewart put the motion forward, saying that based on what was previously learned in staff reports, the higher the fee is for bag tags, the more waste tends to be diverted from landfills.
During the council meeting held on February 22nd, council had previously decided to welcome waste reduction strategies involving a pilot project for FoodCylcer machines.
Stewart said that if council was serious about being a green community and diverting waste from local landfills, then they should be a united front on the topic.
“I know it’s a bold move, and it might not be well-liked, but [from] what I’ve seen in studies, it’s amazing how much — when you crank up [the price of] the tags — how much savings you [see], and how much garbage gets moved into the recycling. It’s like a 40-50% increase, and there’s less going into the landfill,” he said during the discussion, adding, “I’m going to be bold and say [increase the price] by a dollar, and let’s really do it as a community.”
Initially in the discussion, Deputy Mayor Andrea Clarke proposed the increase only be 50 cents, but other members of council were supportive of the idea of increasing the cost by $1.
