Green Bin Program (Good or Bad)

[Dupcheck]

London is trying to introduce the green bin program again.

Here is what Toronto experienced from theirs:
https://www.thestar.com/news/investi...ed_effort.html

I think it will be a major headache for the citizens and a new tax for them with very little value as an outcome.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Based on my experience with composting, the most effective method would be to provide courses and something like the Earth Machine at a deeply discounted rate for people interested in the program.Getting good results from a smaller percentage of the population would be better than getting terrible results from a larger portion of the population.

It ends up being a one-time tax for those interested (at a reduced rate) because there are benefits to the city with less garbage collection.

[haljackey]

penn and teller bullshit recycling

https://www.bitchute.com/video/j0Hd6UfA4MKo/

[User_Name]

I think it's unreasonable to compare the logistics of composting for a city like Toronto, with what it would take for London to adopt a green bin.

I recently moved here from Ottawa, where their green bin program ran weekly, which allowed for garbage pickup to occur every 2 weeks. Sure it was a pain dealing with the smells and maggots, but being earth conscious is not always a stroll in the park (get it?). I read the original posted article, and find it hard to believe a newly established organic waste facility would follow the same pitfalls as an overloaded facility in Toronto.

The biggest shock I had when moving to London was this City's garbage / recycling management - the whole thing needs to be overhauled.

[Dupcheck]

Originally Posted by User_Name

I think it's unreasonable to compare the logistics of composting for a city like Toronto, with what it would take for London to adopt a green bin.

I recently moved here from Ottawa, where their green bin program ran weekly, which allowed for garbage pickup to occur every 2 weeks. Sure it was a pain dealing with the smells and maggots, but being earth conscious is not always a stroll in the park (get it?). I read the original posted article, and find it hard to believe a newly established organic waste facility would follow the same pitfalls as an overloaded facility in Toronto.

The biggest shock I had when moving to London was this City's garbage / recycling management - the whole thing needs to be overhauled.

Maggots eh, Note to self: Do not leave Green Bin in Garage.
Raccoons eh, Note to self: Do not leave Green Bin outside Garage.
Skunks eh, Oh i give up, I wish i never had a green bin.

By the way a little organic waste mixed with non green bin waste helps to break down the non green bin waste better and faster, landfills would regenerate themselves faster too, so i am not so convinced that green bin is as beneficiary as they make it to be. I have a feeling it is another tax grab.

[MrSlippery519]

I personally am against the green bin program, I feel the long term cost is simply not worth the investment from the city or residents.

I would like to propose the city provide a small compost unit to each resident at a subsidized rate this would be available to anyone in the city for a set period of time (they did something similar with rain barrels years ago), while at the same time move the recycling and trash pickup to a once per week schedule, the current pickup schedule is less than ideal for Londoners. They should also further reduce the trash limit to from 3 to 2 containers.

This I feel in the long term would have a savings to the city and would see a small trash reduction (or people paying extra for tags making them money). I cannot imagine the green bin program is cheap, though admit I have not looked into the costs in great detail, it seems like a flawed system to me overall and is difficult for residents to manage.

I am all for doing the right thing for the environment, just do not think this is the right way to do it.

[Dupcheck]

They should incinerate all the non recyclable garbage and generate electricity and methane from it. I would vote for that.

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by Dupcheck

They should incinerate all the non recyclable garbage and generate electricity and methane from it. I would vote for that.

I would as well, there are actually plenty of viable options for doing that.

[Djeffery]

I lived in St Thomas 25 years ago and they had green bins then. I don't recall how the schedule worked, other than it was a private company, and we had the same day each week, regardless of holidays or anything (London at the time had weekly, but it shifted back a day when there was a holiday).

My brother was visiting from Halifax last week, and they have green bin there. They have an app you check to tell you what goes out each week. I think it was garbage every week, and blue and green bins alternated weeks, but it might have been a different combination. Which I think would be one of the issues Londoners would have. For some reason, people here can't even figure out our current garbage collection which I think is pretty simple.

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I lived in St Thomas 25 years ago and they had green bins then. I don't recall how the schedule worked, other than it was a private company, and we had the same day each week, regardless of holidays or anything (London at the time had weekly, but it shifted back a day when there was a holiday).

My brother was visiting from Halifax last week, and they have green bin there. They have an app you check to tell you what goes out each week. I think it was garbage every week, and blue and green bins alternated weeks, but it might have been a different combination. Which I think would be one of the issues Londoners would have. For some reason, people here can't even figure out our current garbage collection which I think is pretty simple.

Garbage pickup is not hard to follow but also does not make it logical, it is a silly system that has existed in London. I have to assume it was intended to save money by eliminating a pickup or 2 throughout the year but it just causes unnecessary confusion for some people. Add to that when you have a holiday it does stink having trash for almost 2 weeks.

Just seems like a simple cost effective process to lower bag limit and move to a once per week schedule.

[Djeffery]

I don't think lowering the bag limit will really do it, because I don't think a large amount of people exceed 2 as it is, let alone go to 3. We usually go to 3 on Monday collections, which means 2 weekends worth, and I see a lot of houses at 1 or 2 bags as I drive into work.

I do remember when they went to 6 zones instead of 5, it was because of the capital costs of replacing a large number of trucks that were at the end of their lifecycles. I think they looked at those numbers, combined with attrition of an aging and retiring workforce, and also with the increasing focus on recycling, and decided 6 days instead of 5 would be doable.

One thing I wish the city would look at, to increase garbage collection productivity, that could even get us back to 5 zones, would be one side of the street collection in neighbourhoods. Is there really any reason a garbage truck has to go around a crescent, then turn around and go back around it again? Designate one side of the street as the collection side, and residents take their stuff across the road. Of course, those people would complain about having to risk life and limb to walk across their sleepy little street, and the people on the other side would whine about their side being the dumping ground. Something we and the neighbours used to do at our old house was put our garbage at the end of my driveway so the truck only had to stop once instead of 3 times. We were on a curve on a crescent and our 3 driveways were very close to each other. Ours was the house in the middle. Then they started the bag limit and we had garbage left one day. I happened to be leaving for work when this happened and I asked the guy on the truck what the problem was. He said there was a 4 bag limit. I said it was 3 houses worth of garbage, to save them having to stop 3 times 30 feet apart. He said he was a coverage guy so wasn't aware of this little arrangement, took the garbage and said "hmm, good idea, thanks".

[Dupcheck]

I do not understand the need for the same day pickup. All people have to do is stick their head out of the front window once per night and see if the neighbours have their garbage out. Is that too much work. Per efficiencies sake Instead of one side garbage all the time, the side of the street can be alternating just like parking is some cities. One week on one side, next week on next side just like the watering by-law in the summer odd and even house numbers. Again all the forgetting neighbours have to do is stick their head out and look where others are putting the garbage...

Or why don't wee hire two loading guys per truck that would cover both sides of the street in one drive, a bit more walking for one of them, but it could be a solution on less busy narrow streets.

Also lowering garbage limit to 2 would be dumb, we would stuff them to the brim and be equivalent of 3 into 2 and no gain for anyone. People would do what people do. We need to be smart here and pick the well thought out things that actually might work in certain neighborhoods or streets.

A smart app with a notification for the day and the side of the road would also help on the efficiency of the whole system.

Now that said, it could be more challenging in winter and in busier streets with higher speed limits, more older folks in the area, or having neighbors that do things out of spite because they can and would put max amount of garbage on your side on the grass etc...nothing is that simple as said off course.

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by Dupcheck

I do not understand the need for the same day pickup. All people have to do is stick their head out of the front window once per night and see if the neighbours have their garbage out. Is that too much work. Per efficiencies sake Instead of one side garbage all the time, the side of the street can be alternating just like parking is some cities. One week on one side, next week on next side just like the watering by-law in the summer odd and even house numbers. Again all the forgetting neighbours have to do is stick their head out and look where others are putting the garbage...

Or why don't wee hire two loading guys per truck that would cover both sides of the street in one drive, a bit more walking for one of them, but it could be a solution on less busy narrow streets.

Also lowering garbage limit to 2 would be dumb, we would stuff them to the brim and be equivalent of 3 into 2 and no gain for anyone. People would do what people do. We need to be smart here and pick the well thought out things that actually might work in certain neighborhoods or streets.

A smart app with a notification for the day and the side of the road would also help on the efficiency of the whole system.

Now that said, it could be more challenging in winter and in busier streets with higher speed limits, more older folks in the area, or having neighbors that do things out of spite because they can and would put max amount of garbage on your side on the grass etc...nothing is that simple as said off course.

There is no need for same day pick up, but it would presumably be "easier" for some people. As mentioned the different days do not affect me as in the odd event I forget I see everyone has trash out at 7am when I leave for work.

I fail to see how lowering the limit to 2 would be "dumb" as you put it, it would force some people to be a bit more aware of what they are throwing out which is exactly the point, people said it was dumb when we had a 4 bag limit. Would some people stuff things into 2 bags certainly but a large percentage of people would also be more aware, be that recycling more or composting, etc. Again for me its not an issue, I have a house of 3 adults (1 temporary adult) and 3 kids under the age of 8 and we never have more than 2 green garbage bags so again does not affect me but the greater issue of lowering trash in land fills is the end goal.

I think having a designated side of the road on paper sounds great, but agree with you regarding elderly people and winter. Plus unfortunately most people are jerks and no doubt people would find a way to cheat and make the process harder than it should be.

Alternatively maybe they should lower our property taxes and have it be a pay per bag pick up then people can put as much or little as they choose (I am not being completely serious for the record)

[jammer139]

It's probably not to early for our visionary City Hall planners to start planning for the future landfill needs and location past the 25 year horizon. Zoning and circling the lands in Red now on a map gives people a chance to plan.


https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/...lling-landfill