NIPIGON – Landfill and wastewater fees are increasing significantly in Nipigon, particularly for non-residents.
The changes, effective Friday, will see fees doubled for many services.
“Maybe we’re making a little too much garbage here,” said Mayor Suzanne Kukko. “Maybe we should think about how we can reduce, reuse, recycle.”
Regular household garbage disposal will remain free for residents but non-residents, notably camp owners who don't pay municipal taxes, will now be charged.
“We have to look at folks that use our landfill that are not residents of Nipigon,” Kukko said. “They’re welcome to use it, but we just need them to be charged appropriately.”
As of Aug. 1, a half-ton truck load of garbage will cost $20 for residents (up from $10) or $40 (up from $25) for non-residents. The fees for half loads have doubled from $5 to $10 for residents, and $10 to $20 for non-residents.
Other notable changes include:
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Asbestos disposal: now $60 per cubic yard plus labour
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Fridge or freezer drop-off: $50 per unit (residents only)
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Spoiled fill: increased to $800 (from $600)
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Scrap vehicles: $100, up from $50
“The cost of maintaining a landfill, like everything else, keeps going up. We’ve always tried to be careful, we even paid for a recycling depot ourselves to extend the landfill’s life. Now we’re planning ahead,” Kukko explained.
Kukko noted that some items, like asbestos, were actively costing the town money.
“It was costing us out of pocket," she said. "We’re looking more to a cost recovery, so we don’t have to raise our property taxes and our sanitation taxes more to support those items at our landfill.”
Wastewater fees are also rising. Taxpayers will now be charged 9 cents per gallon (up from 5 cents) and 18 cents per gallon (up from 9 cents) for non-taxpayers.
“With any increases, we’re looking at cost recovery so that we are not losing money,” Kukko said. “We’re able to pay for whatever we need to do to deal with that waste.”
The changes have been in the works since the previous council term, supported by research from Nipigon’s new chief administrative officer, who began in August 2024.
“He’s been doing research and reporting to us regularly,” Kukko said. “We also had a town hall meeting about budget items, infrastructure and wastewater. These changes were part of all that.”
She hopes the new rates will also make residents and visitors more mindful of their waste.
“When someone pulls into the landfill with a half-ton truck full of garbage, maybe it’ll prompt them to think twice about how much they’re discarding, and how much they could reduce.”
Additional costs and details can be found on the Township’s website.
