Sloppy bin budgeting is pure household waste
The city of Toronto’s fees soaks those who want the larger garbage bins; luckily, you really don’t need one.

thestar.com
March 11, 2015
By Royson James

Starting April 1, it’ll cost us $24 million more to throw out the trash.

That the new rates and fees go into effect on April Fool’s may be coincidental, but apropos just the same.

People are actually, well, put plainly, fools for absorbing much of this cost.

The city is depending on citizens being dumb; acting against their own interest; refusing to take simple steps to protect their pocketbook as best they can.

“Dumb” is having anything but the smallest garbage bin on your curb. “Stupid” is the one who wheels the ginormous waste bin to the curb - a practice akin to lugging a party bus to transport a tennis team to a tourney.

Banks depend on us behaving stupidly. So do the credit card companies. How many of us could, should pay off our credit card balance but let it slide, racking up usurious interest rates we can’t afford? How many of us have multiple cable channels we have never watched?

The same goes for the large garbage bins many of you have. I’d venture to say that virtually no one needs the largest bin.

You garbage hogs paid $217 for the privilege last year; it bumps up to $343 this year.

Meanwhile, I paid only $6.71 last year, rising to $10.63 this year. ’Cause I’m smart when it comes to garbage. It makes up for my brain cramp in dealing with Visa and Rogers.

Before all you “garbage hogs” fill my inbox with your tales of large families and other excuses, consider that your explanations may accomplish nothing but this response:

“Most days I have five people in my household; 80 per cent of the weekends see the household double with visitors, friends and families and guys and gals from various sports teams; we’re in perpetual renovation mode; we have a garden; and pets; and a 60-year-old house. And since 2008 I’ve had the tiniest garbage bin and rarely needed to supplement it.”

The city used to consider waste management a basic service. Then, in order to hide the costs and jack up the budget without accounting for it on the tax bill, council turned waste management into a utility. That means it is governed by user fees.

And now, as expected, city staff is moving to “full cost recovery.” That means the sweeteners put in place to help you digest the change - they offered a rebate until now - are being withdrawn

For example, the Jameses got a $10 payback the first year of the new system. Now it will cost me $10.63. Consumers of the largest bin have merrily paid more and more each year, totalling more than $1,000 when I paid less than $40.

From the onset I railed against the new plan and said it would come to this. My only satisfaction came from using the smallest garbage bin and the largest recycling bin. In this space I encouraged others to do the same - a kind of rebellion aimed at derailing the city’s plans and foiling their designs.

Let go of the monster bins! You can get the biggest blue bin for free and just about everything is now recyclable. The city will give you multiple green bins, for free, for all the yucky organic stuff. They pick up your leaves, garden waste, mattresses, appliances, bulk material at the curb - for free. What’s left?

At least half the times my teensy-weensy garbage bin is half filled. A couple times, I’m ashamed to admit, I’ve tossed some cat litter into it because the green bin was so heavy. Some times I’m embarrassed to put it on the curb, so empty it is. If I miss the pickup, like I did on Tuesday, I whistle a tune and wait for the next pickup two weeks hence.

If a hit in the pocket isn’t enough to alert citizens to the fact that waste cost and the way to avoid the cost is to put out less, nothing will.

None of the above justifies the city’s actions. Mayor John Tory (open John Tory's policard) used my line of attack Tuesday, attempting to minimize the impact of the increases he imposes. They are not insignificant. Not at 58 per cent.

CFO Rob Rossini was more straightforward. The city started out needing more than $400 million to balance the books, he said. The waste department was an easy target - already in the city’s sightline from the 2008 changeover.

There is a problem with my self-protecting approach. It lasts only a while. If we all transfer to the small bin, the city will lose revenues. Then it will just jack up the fees on the small bin.

Till they do...protect yourself. Only a fool picks his own pocket.