Updated fee structure for concrete disposal at Public Works shop, moves from measured weights to vehicle sizing

For homeowners doing a renovation, often it means being left with debris like concrete or wood. Regarding concrete, the Town of Whitecourt’s Public Works shop provides a drop-off service to take the stuff off their hands. “We have a large enough lot that allows us to do that. We see it as an Economic Development thing plus a green initiative,” said Whitecourt CAO Peter Smyl at a recent Policies and Priorities meeting.

He explained that a lot of times, the most considerable cost comes from trucking concrete away, which is why the program is beneficial for residents. The shorter the haul, the less they have to pay someone to move it. “Years ago, (the) Infrastructure (department) implemented this program to go ahead and allow concrete to be dropped off at the town shop. Then, once it gets full, the Town gets a contractor in to crush it, and then there’s a benefit because we can use it as engineered fill, to get rid of it,” he explained.

The issue, and reason for the topic being on the meeting’s agenda, is that the rates haven’t been changed in years, resulting in costs creeping up. In the past, the cost of crushing the concrete has ranged between $12 to $14 a tonne. Smyl explained that, though they hadn’t yet put out for the crushing tender, they think it might be between $16 to $18 a tonne.

“Our rate was so low, we had concrete coming from Edson. That wasn’t really the purpose of it. The purpose of doing this was for the Whitecourt area.” Smyl said the program was also supposed to break even and not cost more than they receive for doing it. The new rates would bring them in line to get back on track with costs in and costs out.

With no scale at the town shop, the new rates are based on the size of the vehicle dropping off the concrete. “It’s a system easily managed for us and simple and provides a great service to the area.”

Councillor Paul Chauvet inquired about another community that collects glass and grinds it with concrete. He couldn’t remember the name but knew that someone was doing something a bit different and wondered if it was something Whitecourt had looked into. Director of Infrastructure Services Kamruz Zaman said that the community was Slave Lake. “We reached out to them. It’s doable and possible. The only thing is uniform mixing.”

He explained that Slave Lake doesn’t receive much glass through the program but added that it is doable. “We don’t have a glass recycling program yet, but we have some proposed. We could (potentially) do something at the Transfer Station.” Smyl added that the topic of different recycling options, including glass, was part of a residential recycling conversation that Council would be having in the future.”

Councillor Tara Baker asked how the concrete program was advertised. “How would somebody know about it,” she queried? “All the contractors would know about it. But maybe since we have new rates, we could start posting about it. I’m not sure if it’s well-advertised for that homeowner that has a project. Maybe they don’t know about it. But if they are hiring a truck, then that trucking firm will definitely know where to haul the concrete,” responded Smyl.

The previous rate of $20/pickup load remains the same. For larger vehicles, prices have changed a bit. Rather than measured weights of $20/tonne, more weight classes of vehicles and trailers were added. A loader bucket is $40, 2-axle trailer (light duty) is $20, 3-axle trailer (light duty) is $30, tandem axle truck is $240, tri-axle truck is $300, tandem end dump is $360 and a tridem end dump is $400. “It is a worthwhile program that’s used by a lot of businesses and residents,” said Smyl.

The Policies and Priorities Committee recommended that Council approve the fee increase/change. They also suggested that Council approve an increase to the water meter fee, from ten percent to twenty percent. “We always add twenty percent, and this one was at ten percent for some reason. Infrastructure caught that,” explained Smyl. The fee is a one-time thing when purchasing a meter. Smyl explained the fee was for overhead costs such as stocking, handling, and shipping for warranty work. Council followed the recommendation from the committee and voted both changes into reality during their June 27 regular meeting.