GORDON/BARRIE ISLAND – While the chair of the local transfer station operating committee said that identification tags will be in place for residents who use the transfer station, namely the Town of Gore Bay and the municipality of Gordon/Barrie Island, in September, Gordon/Barrie Island council is not in favour of the same colour tags being used by everyone in the two communities to drop off garbage because the original idea of tags system to use the site was to figure out where the garbage is coming from and would help in looking at the costs involved in operating the site.
“Right from the first meeting we had we had been looking at some type of ID system to indicate where people who are using the transfer station are from. I am not happy if all the tags are the same colour for everyone (in Gordon/Barrie Island and Gore Bay),” said Councillor John Turner at a Gordon/Barrie Island council meeting last week. “There was a lack of communication someplace,” said Councillor Turner.
Councillor Marian Hester suggested that more of the tags should be ordered, just for Gordon/Barrie Island in another colour from those used by Gore Bay residents/businesses.
“It’s not a complete write-off but I’d rather see different colours for the ID tags, one for Gore Bay and one for our municipality,” said Councllor Turner.
The tags, which would be shown to attendants at the transfer station when someone was there to drop off their garbage and indicate where they are from, “is information council has been looking for from the start, to look at where all the garbage items are coming from, and to use as a base when we are dividing up the costs for operating the transfer station,” said Councillor Turner.
Reeve Lee Hayden said, “I’m not going to blame anyone, but I agree we should have our own coloured ID tags so we can keep track of all of this.”
Aaron Wright, chair of the transfer station operating committee told the Recorder after the meeting, “these transfer station ID tags were to be introduced in September and it was my understanding they were going to be in different colours for residents/businesses in the two municipalities so they could be monitored and we would know how much garbage is going into the transfer station from both (municipalities).”
“I will look into the concerns raised by (Gordon/Barrie Island) council,” said Mr. Wright. “I know the committee wanted the tags to be different colours for both (municipalities).”