Toronto Residents Upset About Blue Bin Program Before It Begins

Toronto’s new method for dealing with its waste is a lot of garbage. Or so say some city residents, who are already complaining bitterly about Toronto’s new blue bin program before it’s even started.

The bins help replace the city’s old tax dealing with disposal. Where just about every homeowner once paid roughly $209 a year to get their trash collected, they’ll soon be introduced to a different method, designed to charge them for how much garbage they actually generate.

And that’s where the blue bin comes in. The bigger the bin, the more you’ll pay to use it. Those with fewer people at home will only shell out for the trash they actually get rid of.

But many are already worried not so much about the costs but the bins themselves. Some feel they’re too unwieldy to handle and take up too much room, in space already occupied by a blue box, a green bin and other waste and recycling necessities. The weight is also an issue for some.

“Even when this is empty, it’s still really heavy,” griped a business owner named Emre Yurga.

From the city’s perspective, the plan is to divert 70 per cent of the city’s recyclable waste that would otherwise just end up in landfills. For larger homes on larger properties around the GTA, the big bins have caused little concern. But downtown where space is at a premium inside and out, the impact will certainly be bigger.

“They developed a plan that’s good for large parts of the city but didn’t really think through the implications in an area like this,” charged Lee Garrison of the Donvale Cabbage Town Residents Association.

The response from City Hall is simple: there’s room for compromise, just make a phone call.

“Some then will be going to a shared box, some have gone to a small box … some will go to bags,” said Councillor Pam McConnell, Toronto Centre-Rosedale.

Here’s a look at what you’ll be paying depending on what your waste needs are.

1 small bag (small bin): $10 credit
1½ bags (medium bin): $39 a year
3 bags (large bin): $133 a year
4½ bags (extra large bin): $190 a year

All fees are to be confirmed by the city when collection starts across Toronto in November 2008.

For more on this program and how it will affect you, click here.

Photo courtesy: City of Toronto