City To Crack Down On Blue Box Scavengers
Posted August 7, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
The old axiom proves true not only for scavengers looking to make a few extra bucks, but for the city as well.
Items put out to the curb in blue boxes often attract late night foragers who collect the aluminum cans and beer bottles you discard and turn them in for cash, but city officials reportedly plan to crack down on the practice this fall.
So why are local officials so concerned over people rifling through blue boxes for cans? The city claims these scavengers cost it cash, taking items it would sell to recycling firms for more than $2,000 per tonne, according to a published report.
The head of the city’s solid waste department, Geoff Rathbone, claims homeless people aren’t the only ones picking up your cans to earn some cash. He says since the price of scrap metal has skyrocketed, several people have realized there’s significant money to be made from collecting refuse.
“That material that you as a resident have put out in your Blue Box, we get a lot of complaints about people scavenging in the night,” added Robert Orpin, also with Toronto Solid Waste. “There’s the noise, there’s the mess factor … we don’t have an exact figure on loss of revenue but it’s substantial.”
The LCBO’s deposit-return program has also caused a surge in scavenging, the city says. Under the program customers pay a deposit when they buy wine or spirits, which they get back if they return the containers to The Beer Store.
The city collects thousands of liquor and beer bottles through blue boxes every year.
Measures to stop can collection will reportedly be introduced in November when the city rolls out its new recycling bins. Any items you put out for collection are considered city property once they reach the curb, according to Rathbone.
This is bad news to people like Horace Tennt, who makes his living picking metal from the curb.
“I think they (the city) need to find other ways to pump people for money,” he charged. “Or provide other means for people to make money.”
But city officials argue the small-time scavengers aren’t its chief concern.
“We’re not going after the single person going down the street going through the Blue Box,” Orpin insists. “We’re going after the professional recyclers, the guy who is running a truck or multiple trucks.”
Still, there are already measures in place to stop the scavenging. Authorities currently have the right to issue a $360 ticket to anyone caught taking garbage or recyclables left at the curb, and that figure would likely rise when the crackdown begins in November.
How To Stop Recycling Thieves
Do It Later
Put out your box first thing in the morning before 6am to ensure no one can get at it during the night.
Watch For Thieves
If you see anyone going through your stuff or a neighbour’s, report it to the city or even police.
Use Less
Cans are problematic, but water bottles can be reused or you can decide to reduce your so-called carbon footprint – thus reducing what goes into your blue box.
