The Independent Staff

The Town of Petrolia has inked a 13-year garbage collection deal with Waste Management.

Council approved the deal which will see the cost of garbage collection and recycling rise by the rate of inflation through the life of the contract at a February meeting.

The contract allows homeowners to put out three bags of garbage each week. Recycling will also be collected weekly and the town and Waste Management can add new items to the recycling list down the road.

The contract also allows Waste Management to impose a fuel cost adjustment charge as the cost of gas fluctuates.

The town budgeted $280,000 for waste and recycling collection in the 2017 budget.

The long-term deal comes in conjunction with an agreement to treat the company’s leachate from its landfill once the new sewage treatment plant is complete. The company will build the pipeline along road allowance to bring leachate to the waste water treatment plant. It will pay $520,000 for equipment needed just for treating the landfill waste. It will also pay a one-time $250,000 hookup fee.

Waste Management has also provided a $15,000 Community Fund. It will provide the cash for community projects for up to ten years, as long as the company has the town’s waste contract.