County councillors weigh-in on long-term waste strategy

By Richard Blanchard Innisfil Scope August 4 2010
Simcoe County’s new waste strategy, which may see the end of weekly pickup of garbage, bulky materials pick-up and the purchase of tags for each bag of waste left at the curb, has mixed support from councillors.
County councillors held a special meeting to review the study from the Waste Management Committee, which was set-up in the wake of the decision to end work on Site 41 in North Simcoe.
Approval was given to the strategy, which will see major changes in the way that waste is handled in the county over the nex two decades.
County councillors were told that the existing bulk pickups, usually held in the spring and fall, were inefficient in terms of recycling materials, because much of them are mixed during pickup and end up in landfill sites.
Bradford West Gwillimbury deputy mayor Dennis Roughley said that his municipality’s experience with bulky pick-ups were similar to the conclusions in the study.
“They didn’t work. There was a problem with consistency and many residents didn’t know which materials that they could put out for pick-up,” he said.
Other county councillors said that the bulky pick-ups worked well in their municipalities. Tay Township mayor Scott Warnock said that in his municipality, the large item pick-ups were popular.
“We’ve held them on Monday and by Wednesday, the streets are all cleared of material,” he said.
Other county councillors expressed concerns about the move towards pick-up of garbage every two weeks and requiring residents to spend as much as $4 per tag.
New Tecumseth deputy mayor Rick Milne, who was unable to attend the meeting on Tuesday, said weekly pick-ups with one-bag limits and periodic large item collection had worked well in his municipality.
“Everything seems to working well from what I hear and see. We don’t have as many problems with garbage ending up in our ditches and I don’t hear as many complaints,” he said.
Adjala-Tosorontio mayor Tom Walsh said he felt the issue of fairness, in terms of pick-up, was worth considering. Walsh told council that he felt the county should press the province to allow more materials taken to landfills to be allowed to be removed by residents.
“A lot of good stuff is going to the landfill, but if someone sees it there, they can’t remove it,” he said.
Environmental Services manger Rob McCullough told councillors that the province had severe prohibitions on removing any materials from landfills, and provincial changes would be needed.
Oro-Medonte deputy mayor Ralph Hough said he had hoped the study would come with alternative uses for a lengthy list of items that currently head for the landfill site, such as broken glass. Adjala-Tosorontio deputy mayor Doug Little said the study should be seen as something for the county to build upon.
Tiny Township deputy mayor George Lawrence told county councillors that he wanted to see the county move faster on reducing the waste.
“Eight years before we might have an ‘energy from waste’ facility is too long. The time is now,” he said.