Outsourced services at Sechelt landfill will cost Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) taxpayers more in 2024.
Site operations, cover material and drywall testing and abatement contracts were extended at the Oct. 26 board meeting, all with higher than current year prices.
Landfill site costs
A single-year deal extension with site operator Sicotte Bulldozing was approved for a value of $852,320. That’s up almost nine per cent from the November 2022 to 2023 costs of $783,596, but pales in comparison to the increase approved last November when the annual contract spiked up from $377,000. The board endorsed staff’s recommendation to get the additional funds needed for next year from taxation, rather than adjusting landfill tipping fees.
A range of new “long-term” solutions for post-2024 operations at the landfill site, including funding alternatives, such as fee changes, is to come to the board mid-next year, staff at the meeting stated. Area D director Kelly Backs expressed interest in exploring bringing contracted services in house, especially in situations where the SCRD "cannot get competitive bids in."
Staff noted the landfill currently has a blended workforce. Sicotte has been under contract since 2012 and handles work on the active face and internal access roads, disposal of controlled waste and maintains the public drop-off areas. An SCRD superintendent oversees site operations and regional staff operate the scale house and public drop-off site.
Next month, a report on the possibility that the landfill’s life span can be extended past mid-2025 is slated to come to the board. That will examine expanding capacity at the site by relocating a contact water pond, which could free up space for as much as three years of additional operations. The board has yet to decide on options for solid waste disposal once it's only operating landfill is full and must be closed.
With landfill operational timelines to be confirmed, the board awarded a five-year contract for the supply of site cover and road maintenance material to Salish Environmental Group. That contract contains a provision for a two-year extension. Staff explained that if the landfill were to be at capacity before the original contract term expires, materials from that supplier would continue to be required for site closure work.
In each contract year, Salish’s bid exceeded the current budget allocation. Next year’s costs come in at $151,200 over the current allocation by $38,000. The shortfall rises to $60,000 by contract year five. Again, the board accepted staff’s recommendation to cover the excess costs from taxation revenues, until the review of operations can be considered.
Up to this point, costs for the work have been covered by tipping revenues. A staff report on the meeting agenda noted those have been lower than projected this year. As of the end of September, costs have consumed 99 per cent of the 2023 budget.
Drywall disposal
Agreements for up to seven years of landfill drywall testing and abatement services at Sechelt landfill and the Pender waste transfer station were also endorsed. The cost of testing firm PGL Environmental Consultants services start at $51,420 in 2024 and increase to $68,907 if required up to 2030. Abatement contractor Proactive Hazmats and Environmental’s bid price remained at $71,746 annually throughout the seven-year term. Taken together, the two contracts are within existing budget levels for next year but would require higher funding levels as of 2025. Budget increases over 2023 levels would be as high as $15,653, if the contracts continue to 2030.
Staff explained that both facilities only accept drywall that displays 1990 or more recent date stamps, indicating that the material does not contain asbestos. All drywall is shipped off-Coast for disposal as it cannot be buried in the unlined Sechelt landfill. It was noted that if a new Coast landfill is built, that facility will require either a single or a double lining, which could allow for local disposal of uncontaminated drywall.
Metal recycling
The future financial outlook for landfill metal hauling and recycling is yet to be determined. A contract was issued to Salish Environmental Group to continue to provide that service to October of next year at the Sechelt and Pender sites for up to $320,320. While that amount is within the current budget, funding for that service is offset by tipping fees ($150 per tonne) and by revenue generated from sales of materials to recyclers, which staff noted can fluctuate based on volumes and prices.
