Resolution No. 12 – 07M
Dumping of Garbage

WHEREAS this rubbish frequently includes hazardous items such as stoves, fridges, tires and construction materials; and

WHEREAS the rural ratepayer should not be expected to bear the cost of cleaning up this rubbish;

BE IT RESOLVED that SARM request that Saskatchewan Environment devise a strategy of prevention which should include a program of public education, severe fines for such dumping, and rewards to people who can provide information (such as vehicle licence plate numbers) which identifies offenders; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that Saskatchewan Environment establish a number of strategically located provincial disposal sites and that a fund be provided to reimburse rural municipalities for the collection and transportation of rubbish.

Response from Honourable Nancy Heppner, Minister of Environment

The Government of Saskatchewan has legistlation in place to address this issue.  Penalties for dumping waste are covered under section 3 of the Litter Control Act which addresses the abandonment of waste.  Penalties under the section are as follows:

Individual
1st offence – fines not exceeding $200
subsequent offences – fines not exceeding $500

Company
1st offence – fines not excedding $2000
subsequent offences – fines not exceeding $5000

Section 3 of the Litter Control Act is now included under The Summary Offences Procedures Act (SOPA) and this provides enforcement officers the option to charge a violator using a SOPA ticket with a voluntary payment.  Voluntary payment for this offence is $1000 plus a $300 Victims of Crime surcharge.

Sasktip (www.sasktip.com) is a registered charity which maintains a reward fund to assist in the apprehension and prevention of those who violate resource and environmental laws.  It works hand in hand with the Turn in Poacher toll free line, which is run by the Ministry of Environment.  Although the main intent of this program was to deal with the apprehension of poachers of fish and wildlife, Sasktip has done public service announcements dealing with environmental violations such as pollution, unlawful burning in landfills and illegal dumping of waste.

According to section 3 of the Muncipal Refuse Management Regulations (1986) (urban and rural) municipalities are required to provide waste disposal services for their ratepayers and the management of same.

To meet this obligation a community can develop and operate its own landfill or waste management facility, join a regional waste management system or, contract services to a waste management company.

The Ministry of Environment promotes regional waste systems as a way for municipalities to fulfill their resonsibility under the regulations.  Regional systems allow communities to share resources and experiences, to provide better solid waste management services to its citizens.  While the ministry promotes the concept of regional waste management, it does not compel communities to join a regional authority.  Since 1992, the ministry has invested over $5 million in the development and operation of Regional Waste Management Systems.

The government does not plan to establish and operate a series of strategically located landfills thoughout the province, and is not developing and on-going program to provide funding to reimburse rural municipalities for cost associated with participating in a regional waste management system.  However, the Ministry of Environment is available to provide technical support to assist municipalities to ensure that their solid waste is disposed of properly.

I have also taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of your letter to the Honourable Bill Hutchinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs, to ensure that he is aware of your interest in funding available to rural municipalities for solid waste management.