Vote coming for waste collection changes, bag tag hikes

Council's Infrastructure and Operations Committee has approved and moved forward a proposal to limit the curbside collection of waste — without additional cost to the user by way of garbage bag tags — to two bags and/or receptacles from the current limit of three.

Those tags for extra bags beyond the new limit would also double in price to $2. The industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) sectors would see their limits drop from 12 to 10 receptacles. The service level changes are slated to come into effect, Jan. 1, 2022, pending Council's final approval at an upcoming regular meeting.

See related: Limit on 'free' collection of waste, garbage tag price increase to be revisited in committee

See also: Trash talk expected in tonight's committee meeting

As outlined in the associated staff report prepared by Karin Pratte, the City's senior environment and facilities engineer, a public education plan — including a social media campaign engineered by the City — will take place in advance of the service level changes, if approved by Council.

"It's not a loss of service," Pratte advised in a presentation to the committee, Tuesday, "it's a new way of thinking about your waste." She later added, "Instead of putting three receptacles at the curb, divert more waste...that's the message."

Pratte summarized the City's waste diversion strategy before taking questions from committee members, highlighting some future potential waste diversion strategies the department has identified for future years. Pratte observed the strategy is considered to be a "living document."

In addition to 2022's curbside bag reduction, some of those potential initiatives (see graphic above) in future years include a local mattress drop-off; a ban on recyclable materials in both curbside garbage and waste dropped off at the landfill; the use of clear bags; a wood reuse area; and, leaf and yard waste curbside collection.

Although the report cites an estimated savings of $40,000 if the plan is adopted, Pratte was quick to walk that figure back as councillors probed its origin, saying the figure is "a very rough estimate," dependent on the number of tags sold.

"Once we have a full year under our belt of having the service level change in the community and we have a better idea and a better grasp of what the costs and revenue are then we can present a service level change for the 2023 year," said Pratte.

Coun. Bill Vrebosch asked if costs incurred by the service level changes — such as more recycling until the extended producer responsibility kicks in for 2025 — had been factored in.

"The $40,000 is an estimate, is based on a revenue, and does include additional costs," of increased use of recycling by consumers. "We have included costs associated with a 10 per cent increase in recyclables and that is incorporated in the $40,000," advised Pratte. "It's also important to note the report to council includes an estimated savings for 2022 but we are recommending we make no budget adjustment for 2022."

Pratte's presentation included data from residential waste audits showing 30-40 per cent of the materials were divertable from the landfill.

"This is a concern," observed Pratte. "This program is really intended to reduce that number, to encourage individuals to refrain from putting materials in the waste stream that are divertable and can be in a different stream, such as reuse — as with textiles — or the recycling stream."

According to the City of North Bay's definition, one standard receptacle can include several bags of garbage: 

"Extra bags/receptacles can have a maximum weight of 15 kilograms, or 35 pounds and receptacles cannot be larger than 150 litres, or 33 gallons. The City will collect three extra garbage bags/receptacles per household as long as they have a bag tag."

Both Deputy Mayor Tanya Vrebosch and Coun. Mac Bain said they favour any cost savings to be re-invested, with Bain suggesting it be applied to lower property taxes.

Questions about an increase in illegal dumping as a result of the plan from Coun. Mark King and Bain led Pratte to categorize those instances as by-law matters that will be dealt with as such.

"That is an enforcement issue and we should not be rewarding that bad behaviour by keeping our waste limits at an unreasonable level," Pratte expressed.

Coun. Scott Robertson and Pratte agreed the true savings of the entire waste diversion strategy is measured in extending the years of the life of the Merrick Landfill, which Pratte pegged at approximately 17 years.