Minden Hills council has voted to make some changes to operations at the township's landfills and transfer stations including most notably the year-round closure of the Scotch Line landfill on Wednesdays.

Currently the Scotch Line site is closed on Wednesdays during the fall and winter but open all week during the cottage season.

The change will come into effect on July 1.

“After several years of collecting and analyzing user patterns at all township [waste disposal sites] staff has concluded that the hours of operation could be reduced at the Scotch Line landfill site and Ingoldsby transfer station” read a report from environmental and property operations manager Ivan Ingram. “User levels at these sites are lower on certain days of the week and certain hours of the day.”

Scotch Line will close on Wednesdays year-round and the summer hours at the Ingoldsby transfer station will be shortened by one hour from noon until 7 p.m.

“I mentioned my concern is that sometimes people are a bit slow to get the information and I wondered if maybe we would consider it after the summer season” said Mayor Brent Devolin during a March 29 council meeting.

Ingram said new landfill cards would be sent to residents in their second tax bill this year and suggested old cards be permitted up until the new hours take effect.

Both the requirement for new landfill cards and reduced hours will commence July 1.

Council also voted to reduce the allotted staff time for site preparation and clean-up at its waste disposal sites from about 2400 collective hours throughout the year to about 1200.

The township is making other changes to landfill operations including increased bulldozing and chipping.

The reduced hours will save the township just less than $20000 a year the changes to site prep and clean-up just more than $20000 for a combination of about $40000.