TRASH TALK

Bulk discounts are now available for Penticton residents who regularly exceed the limit of their new city-issued waste bins.

Council on Tuesday approved an amendment to the tag-a-bag program, under which residents can already put out an extra bag of waste for a $3.50 fee.

According to the new rules, however, residents can now purchase a book of 25 tags for $62.50, which works out to $2.50 each.

Public works manager Len Robson told council the suggestion of a bulk purchase option arose from some “scenarios” with which staff has dealt with since the new carts were rolled out this fall.

“Scenarios include rental properties that require additional volumes from time to time, and bulk buys would allow the tenant to place additional material at the curb when required rather than having to convince the property owner to sign up for an additional cart on an annual basis,” he explained.

Bulk tags are still slightly more expensive than the cost of getting another bin, which carries a $112.20 yearly fee that averages out to $2.16 per week, but that’s by design, according to Robson.

“Due to the additional handling required for bags and containers versus carts, tags should not be priced lower than the annual price of the carts,” he said,

Robson also encouraged neighbours to get together to purchase books of tags.

The tags do not expire and can be used for garbage, recycling or yard waste.

The carts were provided to residents free of charge by the city, which purchased them with cash provided by Multi-Material BC, an industry group now in charge of recycling in the province.