March 9, 1999
To:Toronto Community Council
From:Angelos Bacopoulos
General Manager - Solid Waste Management Services
Subject:Once Per Week Daytime Curbside Garbage and Recycling Collection Rescheduling
in the Toronto Community Council Area
Purpose:
The purpose of this report is to obtain Council authority to reschedule the garbage and
recycling collection days in the Toronto Community Council Area (Toronto CCA) effective
June 21, 1999 as described in the body of this report.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
The proposal described in this report will improve recycling collection service to the public by
eliminating the 11 recycling collection cancellations that currently are scheduled as a result of
statutory holidays in the Toronto CCA. When implemented, approximately 10 fewer
collection vehicles will be required resulting in savings of approximately $150,000 which are
included in the Divisions' 1999 Operating Budget, and annualized savings in equipment
rentals in subsequent years of approximately $300,000. A revised collection calendar will be
produced and delivered to all affected households in the Toronto Community Council Area by
mid June 1999 at a cost of approximately $62,000 which is also included in the 1999
Operating Budget.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that authority be granted to implement the proposed collection schedule
described in this report effective June 21, 1999 and that staff produce and distribute a revised
collection calendar to all affected households by mid June 1999.
Council Reference/Background/History:
The existing daytime garbage and recycling collection services schedule to residential
households in the Toronto Community Council Area has been in place since the Spring of
1993 and provides once per week garbage collection with recycling collection service on
separate days. Generally, recycling and yard waste collections are provided on Mondays and
Tuesdays and garbage collections are provided on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Recycling collection alternates between grey box paper fibre one week and blue box
containers the following week. All recycling and yard waste collections are canceled during
weeks that include a statutory holiday.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
The existing system results in cancellation of recycling and organic yard waste collection
services to approximately one half of the Toronto CCA households on weeks that include
statutory holidays and the rescheduling of recycling collection to the other half of the
households on the following week. The increased quantity of material set out on the next
scheduled recycling collection day following a cancellation requires that staff work overtime
and/or to work a 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift to collect the additional recycling materials.
Residents affected by cancellations/rescheduling must store grey or blue box materials for one
additional week following a statutory holiday cancellation. Some residents do not observe the
calendar instructions and set out recycling materials on the wrong day following recycling
cancellations/rescheduling which creates litter conditions and unsightly streets.
Under the proposed schedule, generally both garbage and one recyclable material will be
collected the same day on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Blue box and grey box
recyclable material will continue to be collected on an alternating weekly basis. Yard waste
for the entire Toronto CCA will be collected on Wednesdays.
Under the proposed schedule, 10 fewer collection vehicles will be required in the Toronto
CCA. This will result in an equipment rental savings of approximately $150,000 in 1999, as
well as a revenue of approximately $100,000 from the sale of surplus collection vehicles.
There will be some reduction in the total distance traveled to collect wastes under the
proposed system, as approximately ten fewer trucks will be required for the occasions on
which it was necessary to collect blue and grey box materials following statutory holidays.
The reduced travel distance will result in reduced impacts associated with the travel of
collection vehicles, including CO2 and NOX emissions.
A revised collection schedule calendar will be required to inform residents of their new
collection schedule at a cost of approximately $62,000.
A comparison of the existing and proposed systems is outlined below for the major
components of the solid waste collection system in the Toronto CCA based on the 1998
calendar.
Recycling
A total of 18 recycling collections are affected under the existing collection system; 11
recycling collections were canceled and seven recycling collections were rescheduled. In the
proposed system, no recycling collection cancellations will occur and seven recycling
collections will be rescheduled to the Wednesday on weeks that include a statutory holiday.
Residents whose normal recycling collection day falls on a statutory holiday are much more
likely to consult their calendars for set-out instructions, resulting in reduced incidences of
incorrectly set out materials and improved customer service and satisfaction.
Garbage
Under the existing collection system, the six garbage collection dates that required
rescheduling due to statutory holidays affect 33% of the households in the Toronto CCA on
each occasion. The rescheduled dates are moved ahead to reduce the number of days between
collections which has caused many residents to miss the collections, and having to store their
garbage for an additional week until the next regularly scheduled collection day. Under the
proposed system, the 11 garbage collection dates that require rescheduling due to statutory
holidays, affect approximately 25% of the Toronto CCA households on each occasion and
will generally be rescheduled to the Wednesday following the statutory holiday. This will
eliminate the missed garbage collections referred to above and will also remind the residents
who have garbage collection services scheduled on statutory holidays to consult their
collection calendar for set-out instructions resulting in reduced incidences of incorrectly set
out materials and improved customer service and satisfaction.
Organic Yard Waste
In the proposed system, there are six yard waste cancellations; there are also six cancellations
in the existing system. Storing yard waste materials for one additional week will not affect
most residents, as well, three of the six yard waste cancellations occur in the summer months
when there is reduced generation or this type of material.
Conclusions:
Under the proposed system, there will be no blue or grey box recycling cancellations,
compared with 11 cancellations in the existing system. Under the proposed system,
rescheduled garbage collections will affect a smaller proportion of Toronto CCA households
and it will be easier for Toronto CCA residents to understand than the rescheduling under the
existing system. Under the proposed system, residents will be less likely to set materials out
on the wrong day and/or miss a collection day which will improve customer service and
satisfaction. The proposed system will also reduce equipment rental costs by approximately
$150,000 in 1999 and by approximately $300,000 in subsequent years. There is also a one
time revenue of approximately $100,000 from the sale of approximately 10 surplus collection
vehicles.
To implement the new collection system on June 21, 1999, Council approval is required by
April 16,1999 to provide sufficient time for calendar production and delivery.
Contact Name and Telephone Number:
Steve Whitter
Director - Solid Waste Collections, Districts 1 and 2
Solid Waste Management Services
Phone: (416) 392-1950
Fax: (416) 392-0396
Angelos Bacopoulos
General Manager
Solid Waste Management Services
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