Blue bin blunders could cost Torontonians 3 per cent solid waste fee hike

By News Staff

Toronto homeowners could be facing a solid waste management fee hike because they’re tossing the wrong items into their blue bins which is costing the City of Toronto money.

Solid waste manager Jim McKay says revenue from selling recycled material has dropped and the expense of sorting out contamination has gone up, leaving him looking at a $9-million shortfall next year.

“That’s about a 3 per cent rate increase on the solid waste rate budget that would have to be required in order to offset that $9-million.”

McKay says too many homeowners are being careless about what they toss into the recycling bins.

“A lot of material ends up in the blue bin that really shouldn’t be there and its pretty obvious that it shouldn’t be in there. We see a lot of food waste, for example.”

A common mistake is to drop coffee cups and black plastic into the blue bins. While they may be stamped as recyclable, they aren’t accepted by the Toronto program.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today