image with green background with text 2019 tipping fees and OVWRC logo
November 20, 2018 Uncategorized No Comments

Click here to view the fees and download a 2019 Tipping Fee Schedule.  

Ottawa Valley Waste Management Board Sets 2019 Tipping Fees
Residents and Businesses to Expect Changes to Disposal Fees in 2019

Laurentian Valley, ON (November 21st, 2018) – At their November meeting, the Ottawa Valley Waste Management Board set the Waste Recovery Centre disposal fees for 2019.  The new rates come into effect January 1st, 2019 and customers will notice changes to those rates when they visit the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre in the New Year.  Sue McCrae, OVWRC General Manager explains some of those changes.

“One of the changes customers will notice is the increase in the minimum disposal fee which is now $20.  The minimum fee has not changed in 10 years.  We’ve also had to implement a fee for recyclables. The Board was faced with making these difficult choices after the Centre experienced a significant decline in revenues for recyclables in 2018.”

Staff also looked closely at the cost per tonne to process material that the Centre accepts at its’ site on Woito Station Road.  For example, it costs $115/tonne to process organic material which is the food waste received in the green carts.  The 2019 tipping fee was increased to $95/tonne for organic material to help cover some of the costs to turn this material into compost.

“The Board looked at the actual processing costs by material and tied in the rates to more closely reflect the actual costs.” Explains McCrae.

The most significant change is the addition of a $50/tonne fee for paper and container recyclables.  There has been no tipping fee for this material since 2006 when it was $54/tonne.  The current economic climate and changes to worldwide recycling markets forced the Centre to implement a tipping fee for this material.  There continues to be no tipping fee for designated loads of corrugated cardboard boxes.

McCrae explains in more detail.  “Some recyclable material like steel and aluminum cans provide revenues for the Centre. But they make up a very small volume of material that we receive.  About 40% of the recyclables we process at the Centre is paper. In 2017, we were receiving $170 per tonne for this material; in 2018 we are paying $70 per tonne to send this material to end markets.  It is not just a problem here in Renfrew County, this is a global market problem for recycling.” 

Laurentian Valley Mayor Steve Bennett, who is Chair of the Ottawa Valley Waste Management Board, hopes that when the markets improve, the Board will be able to reduce the tipping fees for recyclables.  “With such a significant decrease in revenues we had to take a hard look at how we could present a balanced budget at the Centre. Centre staff reduced operating costs where they could and fees were implemented to cover processing costs. As a Board, we did not want to return to our Council tables and ask for contributions to the Centre’s operating budget that would ultimately be paid by our tax payers.” 

Customers are reminded that they can continue to save on tipping fees if material is properly sorted before they arrive at OVWRC.

Written by Elizabeth Graham
Elizabeth Graham has been the Communications Officer at Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre since November 2001. She loves all things up-cycled and re-purposed and enjoys working and volunteering within the community.