Boats and recreational vehicles such as motorhomes can now be disposed of at the Sechelt landfill.
Motorhomes, camping trailers and boats less than 10 metres long will be accepted at a rate of $265 per tonne. The only catch is that they “must be cut up into sections no larger than one square metre,” according to the amended bylaw governing waste disposal that Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors voted on at a May 14 board meeting.
“This fee is expected to cover the additional costs for the special handling of these items by the landfill operations contractor,” said Arun Kumar, solid waste operations manager, in a release following the meeting.
Oils and other liquids must be removed, as well as wood, metal and all other recyclable materials before disposing. The items are being accepted only at the landfill in Sechelt.
It’s a temporary rule change. The pilot project will stay in effect until Nov. 30 when directors will decide whether to extend it.
The hope is that allowing vehicles and vessels to be disposed of at the landfill will prevent them from being abandoned on the side of roads and in parking lots – an ongoing problem in the region.
At the March committee meeting where the pilot project was introduced, Sechelt director Darnelda Siegers said boats and RVs had been accumulating at the district’s public works yard.
Infrastructure services general manager Remko Rosenboom said it was unclear how many motorhomes and boats would be disposed of at the dump. That was one of the reasons why directors voted to move ahead with a pilot project instead of making a permanent change.
A staff report from the March meeting said “it is not anticipated that the annual number of items received would significantly impact the expected lifespan of the Sechelt Landfill.”
Those eager to put their 2020 garbage coupons from their utility bills to use will have to put them to another use. Those coupons won’t be accepted at the landfill until Sept. 9 “to encourage social distancing,” and do not apply to this program.
Landfill questions can be directed to the SCRD at 604-885-6806 or [email protected]
Information can also be found at www.scrd.ca/landfill.
