New Trash Rules to come into effect in Toronto 2008

[hamilton]

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Interesting story. You're gonna pay money, but it will probably cut down on the overall production of garbage in the city. If it's successful, I bet there will be similar programs started up in other Canadian cities.

[SmoothedShredder]

Yeah, UNfortunately, too many in Toronto see money as an ends and not a means... so the only way to get people to respond (outside of enforcing a communist manifesto) is the hit them in their wallets. Fortunately, it may actually work a little. In terms of environmentalism, getting people to change in Toronto is the equivilant of firing at the thick of the crowd in terms of getting results and accelerating them towards sustainable practice.

[phorbesie]

sounds good but the very last answer pissed me off!

[hamilton]

Looks like the motion passed:

Garbage plan gets green light

User-pay system to fund recycling programs; huge amounts of waste expected to be diverted

June 21, 2007

Paul Moloney

Jim Byers

City Hall Bureau

The City of Toronto says residents won't have to pay extra taxes if they produce only one large bag's worth of trash every two weeks.

The Star decided to put that claim to the test.

An ambitious user-pay garbage system that will fund expanded recycling and composting programs was passed by Toronto council yesterday in a 26-18 vote. The plan gives homeowners a choice of four sizes of garbage bins and a wheeled cart, to be distributed in phases before the fees actually come into effect in late summer or early fall of 2008.

Apartment and condo dwellers will be added to the green bin program over an 18-month period, bringing the city's 526,000 apartment households into the new system by the end of 2009.

Homeowners may choose a 75-litre bin, yet to be designed, that would hold about the same as one regular garbage bag, and would cost the taxpayer no extra. If that's not big enough there's also a 120-litre bin (about 1 1/2 bags) available for an extra $41 per year; a 240-litre bin (3 bags) for $101; and a 360-litre version (about 4 1/2 bags) at $151.

Residents will also choose a 120-, 240- or 360-litre recycling bin (equivalent to two, four or six blue boxes) at no charge.

City officials say it's impossible to state exactly how much garbage the 75-litre bins will hold, conceding that what will fit depends on what you're throwing out: something hard and unbending will take up more space than soft materials that can be mashed down.

The Star put the city to the test with the average 67-litre garbage bag sold at grocery stores. A bag filled to the top, tied shut and dropped into a mockup of a 75-litre bin left a little space around the edges, enough so that with some pushing and prodding there was room for half a bag more.

That suggests the average taxpayer might be able to put out a bag and a half every two weeks without paying extra tax.

City officials say polystyrene and more types of plastic will be eligible for recycling once the new bins are in place, meaning diligent residents will have less trash to put out.

The plan is expected to divert 250,000 tonnes of waste a year from landfill, extending the life of the city's new Green Lane dump and boosting the city's garbage diversion rate from the current 42 per cent to 70 per cent by 2010.

The plan will cost $54 million extra per year, half for labour and half for equipment and facilities. That works out to an extra $62 a year for homeowners and $46 for apartment dwellers, for an overall average of $54 per household.

It's a sore point with councillors who support the green goal of more waste diversion but don't like the financial hit on the voters.

"In effect, we've passed a motion here that's equal to a 4 per cent tax increase," said Councillor Doug Holyday (Ward 3, Etobicoke Centre).

The user fee will appear on water bills, while the current cost of garbage collection will be removed from the property tax bill.

"Change is always disconcerting, but most people understand that we've got to promote diversion," said Councillor Howard Moscoe (Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence). "It's being characterized as a tax grab but it isn't really a tax grab, it's user-pay. In this case, user fees make sense because it will encourage people to divert more."

"We are national leaders, and we will be one of the best in Canada, North America, probably all the world in terms of waste diversion," said Councillor Glenn de Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre). "This took a lot of guts by a lot of councillors, and I'm very pleased they were strong enough to vote for it."

Of course, when there's a problem there's often someone with the perfect solution. Rather than fret about how much he'll pay in extra fees, Councillor Mark Grimes, who has a large family, said he'll simply use his trash compactor.

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[phishtaper]

Guelph has been doing this for years. Its really not that hard. Initially, people were confused and resented having to sort their garbage into three streams (recyclables, compostables, and waste) but compliance now hovers around 98%. Diverting 70% of household garbage to compostable and recyclable may seem like a lofty goal, but city stats and a quick survey of bags for pick-up in my neighbourhood indicate that we far exceed 70% diversion with very little effort. In fact, our "waste" bags only need to be picked up every two weeks, while recyclables and compostables are picked up every week. It's amazing how little "waste" we actually produce when properly sorted.

Two issues have arisen. The system is intended for households, and non-household organizations are not obliged to participate on their own and arguably, they produce considerable more waste than households. And two, recent political and financial decisions (not) made by a former city council have shamefully resulted in the community still being obliged to sort, but ALL three streams are shipped to the US for incineration. Ironically, we were a victim of our own success and we burned out the original composting plant and political infighting has led to inaction.