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As part of Toronto Mayor David Miller's new trash regime, city workers are rolling out a new 240-litre recycling bin.
"The recycling-cart delivery was supposed to be the palatable phase of Toronto's new pay-by-what-you-throw garbage system, which officially launches in the city's more than 5,000 apartment and condo buildings July 1, and in its 500,000 single-family homes Nov. 1," Kelly Grant writes in her weekend article for Globe T.O.
"More than 100,000 Torontonians — a whopping one-third of the residents who've received bins so far — have called the city's bin hotline with questions and gripes since the solid-waste department began dropping off bins late last November. About 500 have complained forcefully enough to get a home visit from a member of the city's 'bin team.' "
Do you love or loathe your new blue bin? Are you flummoxed by the rules of Toronto's new trash regime? Send your questions and comments now, then join Ms. Grant for a live discussion Tuesday, May 6 at 12:30 p.m. eastern time.
Kelly Grant is the deputy editor of Globe T.O. A former city hall reporter, she has been following Toronto city council's plans to overhaul the garbage regime since last spring.
Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. HTML is not allowed. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
Christine Diemert, globeandmail.com: Thanks for joining us today Kelly to talk about trash and recycling in Toronto. I had a question myself, but sinice it was echoed by one of our readers I'll start with that one instead.
Lowen Wrainger from Canada writes: Since I can only afford to live in a basement apartment in a house, the dwelling gets only one of those big blue containers. The first time it was used in the 2 week cycle it was filled to the brim. What does this say? It says that we are diligently re-cycling everything that can be while the retail/packaging industry justs keeps stuffing us with more bulk.
Kelly Grant: Thanks for writing. You're the first to tell me the mammoth new carts aren't big enough. You're just the kind of devoted recycler the city adores. As for the packaging industry -- with its products wrapped in plastic, encased in styrofoam and stuffed in boxes -- the city has a panel plugging away at convincing the industry to cut down on packaging. Wish them luck. (I suspect they'll need it.).
As for you, there might be a way to solve your household's dearth of recycling space. The default size for the blue bins is large (240-litre) but the city actually offers an even bigger, "extra-large" bin. You can request a (free) exchange within three months of receiving your blue bin.
Gayle Murphy from Canada writes: Well, I wish you good luck with this, but I wonder where all the outrage was when all this started, when most people were not paying attention? My first letter to Pam McConnell was in May 2007, a year ago. By now, the City has paid a very great deal of money for bins and other roll out expenses. Solid Waste Management is absolutely committed to this. The Mayor is calling it a success, even though thousands of people have complained, many more don't know how to complain, and the City is now permanently blighted with huge bins. They are everywhere, blocking sidewalks, and ruining beautiful neighbourhoods. Garbage is now THE design feature of the City. There were so many other ways to charge for garbage pickup other than inflict these bins on us. But Solid Waste was absolutely sold and the City has to suffer forever for it.
Kelly Grant: Good question Gayle. Where was everyone last summer when council (by a vote of 26 to 18) adopted this program? Buried in the tax debate, unfortunately. The fight over the new land-transfer and vehicle-ownership taxes overshadowed everything else the city did last summer, including passing this sweeping change to Toronto's trash regime. It's funny, last week I asked Councillor Paula Fletcher (a Miller loyalist) whether she regretted voting in favour of the plan. She paused, then said she might have reconsidered her stance if solid-waste staff had actually rolled the garbage and recycling carts onto the council floor. Even councillors didn't grasp what giant eyesores these would be on streets in the city's dense core.
