Residents here have discovered that for rural garbage pickup – if you don’t use it, you lose it.
Rural garbage pickup is coming to an end.
A letter was recently sent out to all Minto residents via direct mail to inform them of that fact. Mayor David Anderson said that the county will end rural pickup in the Town of Minto as of Dec. 30.
“One of the reasons really was that over the past two years they were only basically getting about 22% in participation to the rural pickup.”
He said most of the people in the Town of Minto where there is an active transfer station were opting to go the transfer station rather than putting it out.
“It just wasn’t feasible for that.” He said it was a two year pilot project.
Anderson the project is being renewed in Guelph-Eramosa mainly because that location does not have a landfill site or a transfer station.
He said the closest transfer station is somewhere between 14 to 18 kilometres away – “and further in some parts of the municipality.” He noted the participation numbers were almost double that of Minto.
Anderson said he did know some Minto residents who were using the program, “but again the numbers were not enough to make it financially viable.”
Director of Public Works Norm Fisk asked if residents will get a discount if they take their garbage to the landfill site or transfer station.
Anderson said there is.
“It’s 75 cents a bag,” Anderson said. “You don’t have to buy the yellow bags. It’s always been that way.”
He said there is no cost to bring in recycling and if cardboard is packed down, there is no cost for that either.
Deputy Mayor Judy Dirksen started off with, “You know what I’m going to say.
This is a really excellent opportunity to make the case that those in the rural area of the town who are not getting pick-up, are paying through their Wellington County taxes through their assessment, are paying like everyone else who are getting pick- up. Just so you know.”
Anderson asked, “As the devil’s advocate, how come there were only 22% of the people who participated?”
Dirksen did not have an answer to that, but said, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”
Anderson pointed out, “There were two years of opportunity,”
