Weighting in the garbage debate...

Toronto’s looming imposition of garbage user fees or charging different rates for different sized garbage bins is now big news. However, when ever you start charging for one essential service you usually end up transferring the savings (or in this case extra revenue) elsewhere to deal with the knock-on problem that you have inadvertently created. For example, cut transit funding and you get more cars and gridlock; cut recreation centres you get more youth crime; charge garbage fees and you get more illegal dumping and rodents.

Clearly, we have to do something about the volumes of garbage going into landfill (including the 30% of landfill which is torn down building debris?) recognizing that people are trapped too by the excessive amount of packaging used with just about every consumer item. Here are some things I think we should do (not all of them new ideas ):

• Create neighbourhood recycling depots (as in Europe) to alleviated road side pick-up pressures and cost.
• Offer property tax relief to business who permit public recycling depots on their property (properly zoned).
• Hold frequent, more convenient, fee-based special collection access days at city garbage depots to stem illegal dumping (as there will never by enough dumping inspectors)
• Extend recycling regulations to all commercial and residential building.
• Introduce a garbage collection tax on fast food businesses.
• Ban plastic bag use in Toronto stores.
• Consider special disposal “pet waste bins” for parks and residential buildings.
• Introduce education programs that infer a social stigma on poor residential and business garbage management practices.
• Develop waste reduction incentive plans (not sure yet what all I would do here yet).
• Significantly increase business dumping fines into tens of thousands for businesses and thousands for individuals (Norwich, England fines up to $30,000 illegal dumping).
• Demand new sub divisions and business developments incorporate waste management plans (pick-up frequencies, materials handled, recycling depots, etc) in their designs to act as waste reduction and disposal incentives.
• Design or reconfigure local municipal garbage depots to accommodate public/private fee-based garbage disposal.
• Build new high tech incinerators (in Paris they are neighbourhood located and are tourist destinations) as a future replacement for current landfill options and sites.
• Develop a demolished building waste management strategy
• Press for a national and provincial packaging standards to reduce excessive waste by-products.

Are these ideas practical? Some are now being considered while some even have new business opportunities in them. Ultimately, tackling land fill waste problems will require a national, provincial and municipal coordinated strategy. Unlikely to happen in the near future, but sure to come. In the meantime a non fee based plan combined with education and waste management strategies may be the way to go