Oxford County Votes To Bump Bag-Tag Price

Oxford County Councillors have voted to bump the price of garbage bag tags from $ 2 to $ 3.

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The Increase – Decision Made at Council’s March 12 Meeting – Will Officially Take Effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

In Recent Weeks, Councillors Had Been Involved in Lengthy discussions about the County’s Waste Collection Program and How It Should Be Funded, Especially with a Separate Organics Pickup Set to Begin in the Near Future.

Some coucillors Had favoured Allowing One non-Tagged Bag for Each Property-An Approach Taken by Other Municipalities-While Others Said the Tags, Intended to Fully Fund Waste Collection, we not notch to pay for the program, Given the $ 2 price tag had not changed in years.

Ultimately, The $ 1 Increase, and a Sense that each Property owner can wait to limit their garbage as they see fit, won the day.

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“We eith raise the Taxes of Every Resident or We Increase The Bag Tag Cost,” Blandford-Blenheim Coun. Mark Peterson Said. “It makes no sense to include Everybody’s Taxes for a Service We All Can Control.”

East Zorra-Tavistock Coun. Phil Schaffer Said the Notion of Giving Each Property One Untagged Bag was “Not feasible.”

“Bag tag returned over the last number of years was relatively flat. It Only Grew Five-And-A-Half Per Cent for that Whole Five-Year Period, ”He noted.

“At the same time, the Number of Households in Oxford County has grown by 10 per cent. One Thing this data can suggest is people are getting the message and reducing the number of bags they put out. ”

Schaffer Predictated the Future Would Involve A “Hybrid System” where Both Bag Tags and an Increase in Property Taxes Would Pay for Collection.

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Woodstock coun. Jerry Acchione Voiced His favour for a Hybrid System for 2026, Sharing Fears that local bias and parks will need to store with an increase in illegal dumping in the wake of the price bump.

“I would consider a $ 3 bag tag if we had one or Two bags untagged. . . . It would encourages people to recycle far more and use organics far more, ”he said.

Tillsonburg coun. Chris Parker, Subbing for the Absent Tillsonburg Mayor, Deb Gilvesy, Said He Didn’t See the Value in Discuss the Increase Before January.

“I’m disappointed to see that it’s back (on the docket) this Quick,” Parker Said. “I think this is a 2026 end budget. If we look look at the program as a Whole, we should be look to see if we can find efficiency, especially in the administration of the bag tag system and understanding What the true costs of Administer that program is. ”

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Zorra Coun. Katie Grigg, Filling in for the County’s absent Warden, Marcus Ryan, Said Her Family has been composting for Years, and the Increase Will Allow for Families and Homeowners to Further Monitor Their Waste Consumption.

“Often people require incentive to be interested in shifting behaviors,” she said. “I really see this as not only a Great incentive to help us find some Time to Learn, (but to) change our behaviors.”

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