KAWARTHA LAKES-Deb Shea says she has been using the large recycling carts with wheels for a long time. Â So when the cart was tagged and left full at the curb last week she was shocked.
“I’ve used this bin for ages and only now is it being rejected. I’m sure plenty of other residents are just as annoyed.” Shea told Kawartha 411 News. “These bins are convenient and just hook up to the trucks to be emptied. Makes no sense, especially with the amount of recycling that goes to the curb.”
Shea lives on George Street in Lindsay. She says some are still being picked up while others aren’t.
“My coworker hasn’t had pick-up for 2 weeks and is off Logie St in the new subdivision. One is quite upset he paid over $200 for a bin this size as he has a 5 person household.” Shea explained. “The other coworker is on Sanderling, and apparently they all use these bins and they all got picked up.”
The City says the bins were being picked up by accident and against a bylaw for low-residential use.
“These carts/totes are not allowed for low-density residential use (less than 3 units) for garbage or recycling through our waste management by-law.” The Waste Management Division explained to Kawartha 411. ‘This has been part of the by-law for many years, however through some recent training of newer staff with Miller Waste, our curbside collection contractor, it was brought to our attention that a number residents with low-density properties within the City were using recycling carts. During the training session, City staff informed Miller Waste that this was against the by-law and should be enforced.”
According to officials there are several issues with these recycling carts including a high contamination rate, things like hazardous materials such as sharps and needles that can be hidden from view and the large bins are not part of the contract with Miller Waste.
“If the contract stipulated that the collection contractor is required to collect this type of container for each location, this would add to the time at each stop and the City would have to pay substantially more for collection services which would likely raise taxes.” The Waste Management Division told Kawartha 411. “This is because the totes have to be lifted and dumped through a piece of machinery on the collection vehicle as they are too large and often heavy to be lifted by hand.”
The City says the hazardous waste can also contaminate an entire truck load of recycling as material containing sharps and needles cannot be sent to the recycling processing facility.
Shea questions the logic noting these large containers mean the recycling isn’t blowing around the neighbourhood and there’s less strain on the wokers as the truck does all the heavy lifting.
“They need to quit treating us like we aren’t smart enough to figure out how to recycle or that a smaller bin would allow for better / safer recycling. The collection people do not look at what’s in the bin. They just toss it in the back of their truck. The fact that a business or apartment building on the same block can use these but a resident can’t is beyond crazy.”
The city says it allows unlimited smaller recycling bins (up to 22 gallons) for weekly set out. This can be any type of bin including a standard blue box, Rubbermaid tote, cardboard box etc. The container can also have wheels or a lid, as long as it meets the size requirement and is less than 40lbs.
