In a decision made in January, the Ayr, Crosshill and Wilmot waste transfer stations in Waterloo Region will be shutting down April 1.
It’s a move that is leaving many rural residents frustrated. Now homeowners who exceed their weekly bag limit or have large items to drop off will need to travel to other sites.
“I think many people may find it difficult to accept or understand that they are being forced to travel all that distance to do what they've been doing so close by their homes now,” says North Dumfries Mayor Rob Deutschmann.
It’s a move that was expected to save more than $300,000 – although that projection from January also included the closure of the Elmira station.
Now Elmira will be open twice a week, and some regional councillors believe that will cut savings by half.
Another concern is that people may start disposing trash on roadways or even local farms instead of travelling further distances.
“I had someone back into one of our fields and dumped off what looked to be a complete kitchen and bathroom,” local farmer John Gillespie tells CTV News.
The Township of North Dumfries will be doing a survey and bringing those results to regional council, to show the impact the closure is having on the community.
