Northumberland County says a new fee for yard waste delivered to transfer stations is designed to reduce traffic congestion and push more residents toward existing curbside pickup.
The issue was discussed at Wednesday’s county council meeting after Deputy Warden Mandy Martin asked for more explanation about the change.
Associate Director, Operations Adam McCue told council the purpose is to shift how residents use the system.
Staff said community recycling centres, especially Bewdley, see their heaviest traffic in spring and fall when residents bring in yard waste. While the overall tonnage has gone down slightly, the number of trips has risen sharply because people are arriving with smaller loads more often.
Council also heard that monthly curbside leaf and yard waste pickup is already built into the county’s contract, meaning residents who use that system are not adding cost in the same way repeated transfer station trips can.
After the explanation, council voted to simply receive the correspondence for information.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)