Landfill vouchers available from May to November
Landfill vouchers were a topic of discussion at a recent MOPC council meeting.
MOPC District 2 Coun. Deborah Wadden said during a recent MOPC Property Services meeting said she received a call from a resident asking if landfill vouchers could be used all year, instead of for six months.
She questioned if other councillors heard from residents with such requests or if council would consider making a change to its current policy.
Staff said the landfill vouchers were meant to help people with their spring and fall cleanup. It also stated that the six-month time limit works well with Pictou County Solid Waste because it can hire summer students who can work with the extra waste coming to the site. It also helps to curb any abuse of the vouchers with people selling them to non-rural residents.
Other councillors said they have received calls from residents pleased that the county recently extended the use of the vouchers from October to November and that people can now individually use four vouchers rather than two.
Staff also said allowing people to use them all year would also increase administrative costs at both the MOPC office and the landfill. For example, staff said the voucher program cost the MOPC about $150,000 each year and extending the voucher deadline from October to November increased costs by $25,000.
Coun. Wadden said she was thankful for the information provided by staff and would pass it along to her constituents.