I have been recycling, composting and managing the waste that my household produces for longer than I can remember.
The new bag tag levy is unfair to those of us who take the time to recycle, reuse, compost and only put out a garbage bag out every 2 or 3 weeks. The $200 levy on our taxes will only reinforce the attitude of those people that currently do not take the time to recycle, reuse and compost. I put out a garbage bag approximately every other week, sometimes only every three weeks, especially in the winter. Some will say, “that’s easy for you to do, you live by yourself.”
True, but when the children were living at home, the principles of reusing, recycling and composting were instilled in my children; and they are using those same principles at their own places. Under the new bag tag levy, it will cost me at least $96 more per year to get rid of my garbage (26 tags at $4/tag). Very unfair! I would rather pay $5 per bag tag than have imposed this levy on my taxes. Even at $5 per tag, it would still be cheaper for me to buy individual tags than to automatically be charged a levy of $200. I would be saving approximately $70 per year (26 tags at $5/tag). Mr. Prudhomme stated in his editorial of May 4, 2023 as follows:
“The opposed make very strong points as well. One of the original main reasons behind introducing bag tags was to encourage residents to think twice about what they stuff into a garbage bag. Anything placed … to collect it. Meanwhile, if residents have to pay to place a sticker on every garbage bag they place at the curb, they’ll be more likely to recycle as much as possible. Go green, save some green. This new program all but squashes any incentive to do that. If paying for bag tags is no longer voluntary, there’s no financial benefit to reducing waste.” I agree with him.
Back in the late 1990s, I was a proud member of the town’s Recycling Committee. In my opinion, this new levy imposed by Council sets the Town of Greater Napanee back on any progress it has made in the last 20 years or more towards recycling, composting, and reusing. Once again, the good are going to be paying for the bad!
Nicole Martin
Selby