January 13, 1999

To:Budget Committee

From:City Clerk

Subject:Environment Days

Recommendation:

The Works and Utilities Committee recommends to the Budget Committee, for consideration with the 1999 Operating Budget, that:

(i)Councillors be reimbursed up to a maximum of $500.00 each for promotion of Environment Days for 1999 through their newsletters; and

(ii)blue boxes and grey boxes be provided free of charge at Environment Days.

The Works and Utilities Committee reports, for the information of the Budget Committee, having:

(I)recommended to Council:

(A)the adoption of the following recommendations embodied in the communication dated January 13, 1999, from Councillor Norm Kelly, Scarborough Wexford:

"(1)instruct staff to retroactively compensate all Councillors who used their newsletters to promote Environment Days, subject to the limit;

(2)recommend and support access to HHW disposal to the residents of all wards; and

(3)ensure that department guidelines and decisions reflect Council's direction."; and

(B)that where Councillors do not agree on a joint Environment Day and the Department is hosting the event, those Councillors be permitted to have their names included as part of any publicity material; and

(II)requested the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services to submit a report to the Works and Utilities Committee at its meeting scheduled to be held on March 24, 1999, on the allocation of costs of Environment Days on a per capita basis for future years.

Background:

The Works and Utilities Committee on January 13, 1999, had before it a report (November 18, 1998) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, respecting the cost of Environment Days, as requested by the Committee at its meeting of November 4, 1998; outlining concerns expressed by some Councillors with respect to Environment Day promotional funding; and recommending that the payment for Environment Day advertisements in a Councillor's constituent newsletter be increased in accordance with the recommended payments for different size advertisements stated in this report.

The Committee also had before it a report (December 31, 1998) from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services responding to the direction of City Council at its meeting on November 25, 26 and 27, 1998, with respect to Clause No. 1 of Report No. 10 of The Works and Utilities Committee, entitled "Environment Days", that the following Recommendation No. (2) of the Committee be struck out and referred to the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services for a report to the Committee on a revised distribution program:

"(2)that the following recommendation be added thereto:

"(4)should Councillors wish to distribute blue boxes, grey boxes, water kits, peak pails or composters free of charge at the Environment Days, they agree to reimburse the Department from their office budget for the price that would have been charged to residents for the units.";

advising that free distribution of blue boxes, grey boxes, water efficiency kits and peak pails at Environment Days would result in an estimated operating budget increase of $150,000.00 per year, and noting that such free distribution has not been recommended due to concerns about misuse of free units, inventory control problems and increased cost; and recommending that this report be received for information.

The Committee also had before it communications (November 27, 1998 and January13, 1999) from Councillor Norm Kelly, Scarborough Wexford, respecting compensation for the use of newsletters in the promotion of Environment Days.

Councillor Mario Giansante, Kingsway - Humber, appeared before the Committee in connection with the foregoing matter.

City Clerk

Trudy Perrin/es.1

Attachment

c:Councillor Norm Kelly

Councillor Mario Giansante

Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services

General Manager of Solid Waste Management Services

(Report dated November 18, 1998, from

the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services,

addressed to the Works and Utilities Committee)

Purpose:

To report on the cost of Environment Days, and to revise some of the funding amounts for their promotion.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There are no financial implications arising from this report.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that the payment for Environment Day advertisements in a Councillor's constituent newsletter be increased in accordance with the recommended payments for different size advertisements stated in this report.

Council Reference/Background/History:

At its meeting of November 4, 1998, the Works and Utilities Committee adopted a number of recommendations pertaining to procedures for Environment Days in 1999, and further requested that the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services submit a report to the Committee on the cost of the events. In addition, during the past two months, a number of Councillors have expressed concern with Environment Day promotional funding especially regarding advertisements in their constituent newsletters which have not been funded to the same extent that stand alone flyers or ads in community newspapers are funded. This report will deal first with the cost of Environment Days, followed by recommended changes to promotional funding.

Discussion and Justification:

In 1998, a total of 32 Environment Days were held. As indicated in our report on this subject that was before your Committee on November 4, 1998, the following waste diversion results were achieved as a result of the events:

-sale of 2,244 home composters;

-collection of approximately 210 tonnes of household hazardous waste;

-distribution of 800 tonnes of leaf compost;

-collection of 47 tonnes of tires for recycling;

-sale of 1,442 blue boxes, 796 grey boxes, 262 water kits and 300 peak pails;

-recovery of 14 tonnes of used clothing, 10 tonnes of computers and 6 tonnes of books for reuse and recycling;

-collection of 3 tonnes of non-perishable food items and hundreds of pairs of eyeglasses for redistribution;

-collection of 1 tonne of polycoat cartons, juice boxes and Brita filters for recycling; and

-collection of 3 tonnes of various plastics including polystyrene, plastic bags and plastic tubs/lids for recycling.

The estimated cost to operate the 1998 Environment Days, including household hazardous waste management and disposal, was approximately $500,000.00. An additional amount of approximately $80,000.00 was spent promoting the events. The total amount is comprised of the following:

Wages and Benefits$200,000

Supplies, Services and Other Expenses$100,000

Household Hazardous Waste$200,000

Promotion $80,000

Total$580,000

Wages and Benefits include the costs of a full-time Environment Day Coordinator and Clerk, six casual staff working approximately 20 hours per week each during the months of April to October, and a Driver from April to October. The duties of these positions are as follows:

Coordinator-responsible for arranging and coordinating the events, and ensuring the effective provision of services at the events.

Clerk-answers telephone inquiries related to the Environment Days and performs administrative functions such as recording bank deposits, sales and inventory.

Casual staff-provide service to the public at the events, such as selling composters, blue boxes and water kits, and accepting recyclable material. Also perform other duties such as loading composters, blue boxes, etc., on to trucks the day before the event and assisting in promoting the events, e.g., staffing mall displays, visiting schools.

Driver-delivers items such as composters to the events and transfers recyclables and reusables collected at the events to the markets.

Supplies, Services and Other Expenses include materials and services to operate the events such as signs, bins, trailer rental and police to control traffic; the net cost of the composters, water kits, etc. sold at the events; the cost to transport finished compost to the events; and administrative costs such as computers and office supplies.

Household Hazardous Waste costs are for the management and disposal of the material collected at the events.

Promotion includes newspaper advertisements (six 1/4-page ads in the Toronto Star), radio advertisements (five series of ads from the end of April to September), plus distribution of posters, recorded telephone messages, listings in Waste Watch, and information dissemination at displays. This is in addition to the $1,000.00 per ward which is allotted to the Councillors for promoting their events.

With respect to the promotion of Environment Days, departmental guidelines stipulate that a maximum of $1,000.00 per ward or $500.00 per Councillor be made available to Councillors to promote their events. This is in addition to the approximately $50,000.00 that the Department spends on promoting Environment Days. In February 1998, promotion guidelines for publicizing 1998 Environment Days were distributed to each Councillor. Councillors were asked to follow a number of rules regarding how the funds could be allocated between flyers, community newspaper advertisements and advertising in constituent newsletters. A number of Councillors have expressed concern that Environment Day ads in their constituent newsletters have not been funded to the same extent that stand alone flyers or ads in community newspapers are funded. After consultation with the Clerk's Division, we hereby recommend that the Department make changes to the promotion guidelines for 1999 as described below.

The payment for advertisements in a constituent newsletter should be increased as follows:

Size of AdvertisementCurrent PaymentRecommended Payment

Full page$180.00$500.00

3/4-page$150.00$375.00

2/3-page$135.00$330.00

1/2-page$120.00$250.00

1/3-page$105.00$165.00

1/4-page $90.00$125.00

1/8-page $60.00 $65.00

The amount for a full-page advertisement is restricted to $500.00 to enable both Councillors in a ward to advertise in their newsletters and to enable residents to receive the information twice (i.e.,two "hits"). The remainder of the rules and requirements, as outlined in the 1998 promotion guidelines, would remain the same. The $1,000.00 limit on promotional spending per ward would also remain in place.

Conclusion:

The total cost to operate the 1998 Environment Days, including promotion and household hazardous waste management and disposal, is estimated to be approximately $580,000.00. Amending the promotion guidelines will allow Councillors to receive more funding for advertising in their constituent newsletters. All other promotion guidelines would remain the same as in 1998.

Contact Names:

Tim Michael, Manager, Waste DiversionNicole Dufort, Manager, Communications

Solid Waste Management ServicesSupport Services

Works and Emergency ServicesWorks and Emergency Services

Phone: 392-8506; Fax: 392-4754Phone: 392-2963; Fax: 392-2974

tim_michael@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca.nicole_dufort@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca

(Report dated December 31, 1998, from the

Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services

addressed to the Works and Utilities Committee)

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to respond to the Council request for a further report on the distribution of items at Environment Days.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Free distribution of blue boxes, grey boxes, water efficiency kits and peak pails at Environment Days would result in an estimated operating budget increase of $150,000.00 per year.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that this report be received for information.

Council Reference/Background/History:

City Council on November 25, 26 and 27, 1998, amended Clause No. 1 of Report No. 10 of TheWorks and Utilities Committee by striking out and referring Recommendation No. (2) of the Committee to the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services for a report to the Committee on a revised distribution program.

Recommendation No. (2) of the Committee read as follows:

"(2)that the following recommendation be added thereto:

'(4)should Councillors wish to distribute blue boxes, grey boxes, water kits, peak pails or composters free of charge at the Environment Days, they agree to reimburse the Department from their office budget for the price that would have been charged to residents for the units'."

Discussion and Justification:

The recommendation to have Councillors reimburse the Department for items given away free at Environment Days was intended to harmonize the practices of the former municipalities with respect to distribution of items at public events. For example, Councillors of the former City of Toronto used to distribute blue and grey boxes and water efficiency kits for free at their events, whereas Councillors of the former Metro Toronto would charge $5.00 for blue and grey boxes and $20.00 for water efficiency kits (approximately the wholesale cost of the units). Composter units are generally sold for the subsidized cost of $15.00 per unit.

This recommendation is also consistent with the Solid Waste Management Service Level Harmonization report which recommended that residents be charged $5.00 for replacement blue and grey boxes.

The alternative would be to have Councillors give away blue boxes, grey boxes, water efficiency kits and peak pails for free at their 1999 Environment Days.

Based on an estimate that the number of units distributed would increase by a factor of 10, an additional $150,000.00 would need to be budgeted by the Department to accommodate free distribution.

The advantage of free distribution is that it provides a direct incentive to residents to recycle waste and conserve water.

The disadvantages are as follows:

(1)some residents may obtain extra units for other uses or for sale to others;

(2)inventory would be difficult to control since there would be no sales records; and

(3)the Department budget would have to be increased by approximately $150,000.00 per year.

Conclusions:

Free distribution of grey boxes, blue boxes, water efficiency kits and peak pails at Environment Days has not been recommended due to concerns about misuse of free units, inventory control problems and increased cost.

Contact Names:

Andrew Pollock, Director - SWM Policy and Planning

Solid Waste Management Services

Works and Emergency Services

Phone: 392-4715; Fax: 392-4754

E-mail: andy_pollock@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca.r.