Garbage Fees Expected To Rise For Pay-As-You-Go System

It’s definitely an incentive to practice the 3 Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle.

The proposed cost of new garbage bins due to roll out across the city later in 2008 is expected to go up for Toronto homeowners who throw out a lot of trash, and shrink for those who leave less at the curb.

The basic idea behind the new system is the more you toss the more you pay.

Under the proposed new pricing structure, the two smaller bins would go down in cost – by $10 for the smallest bin (which holds one bag of trash) and $2 for a medium bin (which holds 1.5 bags).

As for the two larger sizes of bins, the cost to families will rise substantially. The large, three-bag capacity bin fee would rise from $310 to $342, a hike of more than $30. And for those requiring the extra-large bin, which holds about four-and-a-half bags, the price could jump nearly $40, from $360 to $399.

This is the third new tax the city has introduced over the past few months, when you take into consideration the property tax increase and a new vehicle registration levy.

“Are we over-taxed? All I can say to Toronto residents is be happy,” suggested city councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker. “If you move to Mississauga or Markham or Pickering, you would pay more taxes and you would get less services.

“We’re going toward more of a user-pay system that when you pay these garbage fees all your money’s going toward garbage collection and recycling.”

One Toronto resident asked didn’t object to the idea. “I think it’s a good one,” Beverly Brenton said. “It makes people not throw out stuff unless it’s actually garbage and tend to pick through their garbage to look for recycling.”

But homeowner and new mother Jan Hoard thinks the extra expense couldn’t come at a worse time. “I can’t believe how many diapers he [the baby] goes through. The garbage is definitely going to be piling up,” she said.

“Certainly I don’t want to be spending any more money but I’m not sure what the alternative would be at this point.”

Peel officials say that almost 91 per cent of homes in Mississauga and Brampton respect the bag limits, mainly because residents are forced to pay for their extra bags.

The budget committee is debating the new pay-what-you-throw bin fees next week. As the city struggles with a financial crisis, it hopes the extra charge will generate $54 million.

If you’re living in an apartment or condo you can expect to see the new fee tacked on to your July water bill. If you live in a single family home the extra expense will show up on your bill this fall.

If there’s some good news in all this, it’s that while families may be paying more to have their trash taken away they likely won’t be digging deeper in their wallets to let their kids play hockey or swim at their local recreation centre.

Toronto city council is shying away from a plan to increase rental fees for city-owned ice rinks, swimming pools and sports fields. The proposed hike would have been about 21 per cent, reducing the city’s budget by $2 million.

But Mayor David Miller wants councillors to come up with other ways of finding that cash.

Breakdown of proposed trash hikes:

Small bin (1 bag)

Old price: $209
New price: $199

Medium bin (1.5 bags)

Old price: $250
New price: $248

Large bin (3 bags)

Old price: $310
New price: $342

Extra-large bin (4.5 bags)

Old price: $360
New price: $399