By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle
Oliver is negotiating the town’s new waste collection contract, which will come into effect in 2025 and will see single body construction trucks used again.
The request for proposals (RFP) to secure the contract, which will extend from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2032, was sought using a regional approach.
Oliver along with Osoyoos, the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), Penticton, Summerland, and Keremeos all sought a regional RFP for waste collection services.
The report notes that this was done to leverage economies of scale due to the efficiencies of route design and vehicle procurement.
Out of the four proposals submitted, Waste Connections of Canada was determined to be the best contract for the region and was selected.
Each local government will now be tasked with negotiating its own contract due to its own unique service levels and needs.
The town of Oliver began negotiations on January 10, 2024. The estimated cost of the contract is expected to go up $31,000 from $314,000 to $345,000.
It is still to be determined how much this will impact the current annual user fees, which are $42.50 and $11.50 for multifamily properties.
One notable part of the contract will be a change from double body to single body trucks. This means that each truck will only have one compartment for waste instead of a split body construction, which allows for two types of waste to be collected in one truck.
The change aims to reduce the contamination of recycling, and other types of waste, but also to create more efficient routes by requiring fewer trips to the landfill.
This new contract also coincides with the RDOS commissioning the compost facility at the landfill, where food waste will eventually be composted instead of landfilled.
Information on this rollout and the transition will come later in 2024.
The matter will be brought to the February 20 council meeting for further consideration and inclusion in the financial plan.
