What does the Comox Strathcona Waste Management Service update mean to Cortes residents? Rates will go up. You may be paying more if you have a project that requires a bin to remove a lot of waste, like from a construction site or a renovation. There may be some money for the free store. There are actually 33 proposed actions, but at this point it is not clear how many will apply to us. Sarah Willie, Manager of Solid Waste Planning and Policy Development will be at this Friday’s Mansons Public Market, September 19, to talk about it.

Sarah Willie: “We’re a service of the Regional District and our main goal is in waste diversion and also the management of that garbage and that recycling further along. We’re managing the landfills, transfer stations, the depots across the service area. We operate the Cortes Depot and recycling and transfer station and we’re also a big part of the Quadra upgrades that are coming up. We’ve got bins there right now and we’ve procured some land in order to build a recycling depot.”

“We’re in the middle of a 10-year update of our solid waste management plan. This plan is really big-picture thinking. How are we going to achieve that diversion increase over the next 10 years? Are we going to preserve our landfill space? And providing opportunities for people to have input into that process.

“We’re in step three now of a four-step process. We’ve been out to community a couple times over the past few years, getting from folks the goals of this process, introducing them to what we do for their community. Sometimes it’s a little bit behind the curtain. Now we’re at the point where we’ve got some strategies and some actions that have been informed by our public and technical advisory committee, as well as our board of directors.

“So we’ve got 33 actions and eight strategies that we’ve grouped together and we’re bringing them to the public. We’d like to hear their input and thoughts on whether we’ve hit the mark. So we’ve got a number of events across the whole region coming up. One specifically, we want to make sure folks are aware of, and that’s on Friday, September 19th. We’ll be joining the Cortes Island Farmer’s Market from noon till three. We’ll have a tent set up there. Myself and my colleague Lindsay will be there to introduce the concepts to folks and to answer any questions.

“We’ve also got a lot of online opportunities for engagement. Up until October 16th, you can go to https://engagecomoxvalley.ca/swmp — that stands for Solid Waste Management Plan — and complete our online survey for a chance to win a hundred dollars in groceries.”

Cortes Currents: What changes are being proposed? 

Sarah Willie: “The changes are more at a policy level at this point. To highlight some of our actions, we’re looking at ways to increase diversion, with a focus on construction and demolition, education, and tackling industrial, commercial, and institutional waste. That can include business waste generated on island or through accommodations, renovations, or complete tear-downs.”

“If folks are buying older waterfront properties and building larger places, how do we try to reduce the waste that comes out of that?”

“We’re also looking at things that Cortes residents already do really well — reuse, repair, and education — and trying to encourage and enhance those. We don’t specifically say ‘in this community we’ll tackle this thing.’ It’s across our whole region, which is vast: from the Discovery Islands north to Sayward, west to Kyuquot, down to Gold River, along the East Coast to Hornby, Denman, Fanny Bay, Union Bay, and the entire Comox Valley.”

Cortes Currents: What do these changes mean to your customers?

Sarah Willie: “There are two ways our service is funded. User pay is our priority — wherever possible, we want the people who generate the waste to be the ones paying for its management. We also have a tax requisition component.” 

“Residents of Cortes, the Discovery Islands, and Quadra all pay that requisition to the Comox Strathcona Waste Management Service. The cost implications of some of these increases are included in our public information, and people can learn more through the engagement process.”

Cortes Currents: A lot of Cortes residents don’t use the garbage service much, but we pay a flat fee. Do these changes affect that?

Sarah Willie: “Cortes is unique. When you bring waste to the transfer station there, you’re not charged a fee to drop it off — that’s unique to Cortes. So the user-pay principle is trickier because everyone pays the same as a resident through curb-side collection.”

For larger amounts of waste, like construction projects, people are charged by the ton at Campbell River. That’s where the direct user-pay principle applies.

Cortes Currents: Would the ‘user pay’ idea also apply to garbage pick-up? Many permanent residents have very little waste, but summer residents generate much more. Would permanent residents see rates drop?

Sarah Willie: “Not really. If you have a small amount of garbage year-round, it might equal someone who produces more over just two months. A lot of the cost comes from the truck driving up, not the actual disposal. Labor and vehicle costs are the big factors. So everyone contributes to that convenience.”

Cortes Currents: So our rates wouldn’t go down?

Sarah Willie: “The curb-side service is established by the residents and businesses of Cortes. We’re not proposing changes to that through this plan. That service is managed by the Strathcona Regional District.”

“If there was an opportunity to apply user-pay at the transfer station itself, that might fall within our mandate, but curb-side pick-up is SRD’s responsibility.”

Cortes Currents: What else in the plan applies directly to residents?

Sarah Willie: “Education is a big theme. We already have a community educator who comes to Cortes once or twice a year, and a school educator who works with kids both online and in person on Cortes and even Read Island.”

They are also looking into the idea of providing funs for volunteer or non-profit run free stores. One action proposes providing $1 per permanent resident.

Cortes Currents: Would that money be automatic or only as needed?

Sarah Willie: “Those details aren’t in the document yet. If the public supports it, policies would be established later.”

Cortes Currents: On Quadra, people would like a free store, but I think the only option now is virtual?

Sarah Willie: “That’s right. A new depot is under construction on Quadra, and once it’s open we’ll look at the potential for a free store there. First we need to see traffic patterns, how the space works, and ensure safety for customers and staff.”

Cortes Currents:  Are there any more specific details of the upgrade you can give? Again, what I’m thinking of is things directly affect residents or their community.

Sarah Willie: “Cortes already benefits from a high level of service. One area that’s still a gap is organics. Many residents compost, but for some that’s too much — whether because of wildlife, the ‘ick factor,’ or because they’re not year-round residents.”

“In our waste audit, the number one divertible material still in Cortes garbage is food waste. So increasing organics options is one of our strategies.”

Cortes Currents: Are we looking at a potential rate increase?

Sarah Willie:  “I didn’t want to get into the weeds of it all because it’s complicated for folks, but Comox Strathcona waste Management:  the tax requisition component, how that ends up, the overall costs – are presented within the engagement materials. What moves forward will be decided by the public and by the board, and then how that’s paid for will be part of that conversation too.”

“The curb-side service is separate and that rate establishment is separate from the work that we’re doing and our overall cost is going to be shared by everyone across the service area. 

Cortes Currents:  We’d still want to know, are we looking at a rate increase?

Sarah Willie: “Yes, it won’t go down.” 

Cortes Currents: Thank you. Is there anything you’d like to add?”

Sarah Willie: “We really hope people come out. I know the entanglement of curb-side versus transfer station operations is tricky. We’ve tried to untangle it, but I know the bureaucracy is deep.”

“So come meet us at the Farmer’s Market, get some fresh produce, and chat with us. We’ll be happy to meet with folks.”

Links of Interest:

• Comox Strathcona Waste Management press release 
• Weigh in on Waste Survey
• Comox Strathcona Waste management website
• Articles about, or mentioning, Comox Strathcona Waste Management 

Sign-up for Cortes Currents email-out:

To receive an emailed catalogue of articles on Cortes Currents, send a (blank) email to subscribe to your desired frequency:

• Daily, (articles posted during the last 24 hours) – cortescurrents-daily+subscribe@cortes.groups.io
• Weekly Digest cortescurrents – cortescurrents-weekly+subscribe@cortes.groups.io