As of August 8th, the Plum Coulee Landfill will be permanently closed.
Municipality of Rhineland Reeve Don Wiebe explains the facility has hit capacity.
In 2019, the Province advised the Municipality that it would not be permitted to expand the landfill because there wasn't room for a new hole, but it could continue operating it until the existing hole was full or until June 2023, whichever came first. That day has now come and a decommissioning plan has begun.
"Some testing has to go on, then you have to compact it and there has to be a certain level of dirt on it," explained Wiebe. "So it gets sealed and capped and then monitored."
This unexpected closure has caught some users off guard, added Wiebe.
For Plum Coulee residents who get their garbage picked up, their waste will simply now get dropped off at the Altona/Rhineland Landfill. However, those who deliver their waste to the landfill themselves will incur some additional expenses. That includes transportation to other landfills and the higher tipping fees at those sites.
"They have informed Council of that, and they wondered if there are subsidies available or other alternatives," said Wiebe. "And so, the staff is doing a bit more homework on that." He expects Council will further discuss the issue at its regular meeting scheduled for August.