By Bess Stathopoulos
It will save you money to trim your trash!
The following is some information regarding the new Toronto garbage bin fee and explains where all the money is going.
The new user-fee garbage system will raise $54 million a year for the city, says Geoff Rathbone, general manager of solid waste. That money will be used to divert more garbage from the dump. The city now diverts about 42 per cent of its waste through reducing, recycling, reusing and composting, but wants to divert 70 per cent by the end of 2010. If the city can hit its 70 per cent target, the newly purchased Green Lane landfill will be able to take Toronto’s garbage until 2034. At the current diversion rate, the dump will only last until the early 2020s.
The annual garbage fee will be based on the bin size selected. If you pick a small garbage bin, you’ll get a refund of $10 a year. A medium bin that holds about the same as 1.5 garbage bags – costs $39 a year. The large bin (equal to three garbage bags) – $133 a year. Using the extra-large bin will cost $190 a year. You’ll pay on the City Water Bill, at the current frequency. That’s usually 2 or 3 times a year for single-family homes. Apartments and condos are generally billed monthly.
Large apartment and condominium buildings will pay by volume. The city will measure the tonnage of garbage coming out of each building and assess whether it is putting out a small, medium, large or extra-large volume of trash. All units will then be assessed an equal share of the total bill, ranging from a refund of $7 per unit for buildings that use the equivalent of a small bin, to a fee of $78 per unit for a large bin.
The fees have been set low enough that they should not trigger an automatic rent increase under Ontario law. If landlords want to recover the cost, they’ll have to apply for a rent increase. That means there will be an incentive for landlords to make it easy for their tenants to recycle and compost! Residents of duplexes and triplexes who pay a common water bill will normally get one bin for the building, billed to the building owner.
Single-family home residents will get four free garbage bag stickers that will allow them to put out extra trash occasionally, for example if they have a lot of guests or are cleaning house. If that’s not enough, extra bag tags can be purchased for $3.10 each under the proposal. However, you won’t be allowed to refuse a bin and simply buy bag tags.
If you change your mind about the size of your bin, you can get a smaller bin for no charge. For the first three months of the new system, you can get a larger bin for a $10 fee. After that, getting a larger bin will cost $20.
Bess Stathopoulos is a Sales Representative with Royal LePage R.E.S. Ltd – Johnston & Daniel Division. Bess’s website is located at www.myblissfulhome.com
Reference Source: John Spears, City Hall Bureau
