June 14, 2023City CouncilMeeting 16

Curbside Waste Diversion Policy

Council was asked to

Council refer the “Curbside Waste Diversion Policy” report back to staff, and direct staff to undertake the following activities prior to Q4 2023 and include associated findings, options and recommendations in a revised report to be considered by Committee and Council at the same meeting as the Solid Waste Master Plan in Q4 2023. Conduct and provide the results of further public consultation on any proposed amendments to the residential curbside collection policy that would include tag and bag limits, including the limits proposed in the original staff report; Continue to investigate opportunities to enhance waste diversion in multi-residential properties as per the Council-approved Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Strategy and as part of the Solid Waste Master Plan; Develop recommendations for a comprehensive education campaign about the need for further diversion, emphasizing the cost of inaction and the important role we all play in reducing waste and extending the life of our municipal landfill, to ensure that residents have the knowledge and tools to divert waste – including the appropriate bins; and Investigate and provide options for educational opportunities to encourage compliance with waste diversion strategies and bring forward proposed mechanisms to move from encouragement to enforcement by 2026.

Lost

4 for, 20 against

the staff report titled, “Curbside Waste Diversion Policy”, being considered by City Council at its meeting of June 14, 2023, recommends amendments to the current residential curbside collection policy, including the establishment of a Partial Pay-As-You-Throw program that includes tag and bag limits
the recommended tag and bag limits are complicated, inequitable, and punitive for segments of the population because of the exemptions and caveats that would be required to run a citywide program of this nature
approximately 20 per cent of waste comes from multi-residential units, which are not included in the recommended Curbside Waste Diversion Policy amendments
in 2019, the City permitted plastics to be added to the Green Bin program, the most significant amendment to the policy in seven years, because of concerns about the cleanliness of the bins, and diversion was only increased by three per cent as a result
City staff have identified that the majority of non-diverted waste should be diverted through the Green Bin program; and WHERE the City has not engaged in a large scale comprehensive education campaign since the introduction of the Green Bin program in 2010
the recommended Partial Pay-As-You-Throw program involves significant changes and alterations to solid waste planning for a large, diverse metropolitan area, and this program is being presented in Q2 2023, while the Solid Waste Master Plan is to be considered by City Council in Q4 2023

This entry was transcribed from the City Clerk's official minutes. If anything here looks wrong, the minutes are the authority.