COUNTY OF SIMCOE
To:
CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE
Section:
Solid Waste Management
Item Number:
CS 13-092
Meeting Date:
June 12, 2013
Subject:
Township of Tay request re: bulky item collection
Recommendation:
THAT staff be directed to prepare a response to the Township of Tay outlining the options contained
within Item CS 13-092, for their consideration.
Executive Summary:
The Corporate Services Committee recommended that the Township of Tay request (to continue with
their bulky garbage collection at the municipality’s cost) be referred to staff for a further report
regarding options associated with the Township’s request. This Item fulfills that recommendation.
Staff has identified some information in response to the Township resolution as well as options for the
Township to consider. These options meet the spirit of the Township’s request while maintaining
County Council’s direction with respect to uniform waste collection services. The options for the
Township’s consideration are:
Option A –defer a decision for a year to in order determine if the call-in bulky collection service actually
has a negative impact. If so, the other options identified may be considered.
Option B – the Township cover the cost of the call-in bulky collection service provided to local
residents through monthly invoices from the County.
Option C – the Township reimburse residents directly for some or all of the cost of the call-in bulky
collection service similar to their existing subsidy for low flow toilets.
Background/Analysis/Options:
Correspondence (attached as Schedule 1) was received from the Township of Tay at the May
Corporate Services Committee meeting which requested that the County reconsider their position of
uniform collection services such that the Township may provide bulky collection service at their cost.
This Item is provided in order to fulfill the direction of recommendation CS-073-13:
June 12, 2013
Corporate Services Committee CS 13-092
Page 2
THAT the resolution from the Township of Tay, dated March 18, 2013, regarding heavy
garbage/bulky item collection be received;
AND THAT staff be requested to prepare a report regarding waste options associated with the
Township of Tay's request.
County staff has spoken with staff from the Township of Tay and understand the following:
1) The Township of Tay Council is concerned with respect to illegal dumping and felt that the removal
of ‘free’ bulky collection has the potential to increase illegal dumping.
2) The County does not provide by-law enforcement services to assist the local municipalities.
3) The Township is seeking permission to provide their own bulky collection service at the
municipality’s cost. Staff understands that it would be the Town’s intention to contract for this
service with a similar collection system as provided previously by the County (little diversion, same
limit and collection frequency).
Staff provides the following information for clarity in response to the Township resolution (numbered to
coincide with the points above):
1) The County assists the local municipalities with respect to illegal dumping financially through
provision of municipal amnesty vouchers annually to permit the disposal of illegally dumped
material at no cost to the local municipalities. Staff has investigated the incidence of illegal
dumping historically in municipalities with and without bulky collection service for comparison
purposes utilizing actual tonnage data expressed as kgs/household from clean up in County
Forests as well as municipal amnesty voucher usage data for the past three years. Results
indicate that, of the seven municipalities which did not receive bulky collection service previously,
five had lower than average incidence of illegal dumping (based on actual tonnage). Staff notes
that typically, when there is a major waste program change there may be an increase in illegal
dumping, however it returns to a normal level within a short period. Interestingly, the data
indicates that Town of Midland saw a decrease in the amount of illegal dumping after terminating
their curbside bulky collection service in 2010.
2) County waste management staff and by-law staff have been meeting with local municipal by-law
enforcement officers and have discussed options for dealing with bulky materials placed out for
collection without booking an appointment with the County. Staff has developed a sticker which
will be provided at no cost to municipal by-law enforcement officers to enable them to notify any
resident with materials placed out erroneously that they are not compliant with local by-laws and
enable tracking of the material should it later be found illegally dumped. Staff notes that, at the
time of preparation of this report, the historic bulky collection season would have begun but there is
very little bulky material erroneously placed at the curb. This would indicate that the
communications campaign identifying collection changes was successful. This also would indicate
that the impact to local municipal by-law enforcement officers with respect to property standards
may not be as significant as anticipated. Issues will continue to decline as residents become
familiar with the new service level.
3) It was County Council’s desire to provide a bulky collection service which would maximize
diversion from landfill. If Council approves the Township request to provide its own bulky collection
service, waste diversion may not be maximized. Staff has therefore identified some options for the
Township to consider including some which staff believe meet the spirit of the Township’s request
June 12, 2013
Corporate Services Committee CS 13-092
Page 3
while maintaining County Council’s direction with respect to uniform waste collection services and
maximizing waste diversion. The options for the Township’s consideration are:
Option A – The Township defer a decision for a year to in order determine if the new call-in bulky
collection service actually has a negative impact. At the time of preparation of this Item, the call-in
bulky collection service had not yet commenced. Staff understands that the response to it has been
good but anticipate that it will take some time for it to become engrained. As indicated above, the
historic bulky collection season would have begun at this time, yet there is little bulky material
erroneously placed at the curb. Therefore the perception that there will be a significant increase in bylaw enforcement and illegal dumping may not come to fruition. Ultimately, if after some time, it is
determined to be a problem in the Township they may choose to utilize one of the other options below.
Option B - Rather than collecting payment from Township residents, the County could invoice the
Township monthly for the bulky collection service events provided in the Township. Staff notes that
the cost of this cannot be determined as it is dependent upon the number of service events which
occur. Unlike previous bulky collection services in which collection costs were fixed and only disposal
costs would vary, the costs for the call-in service would be related to only those units which receive the
service. There is a risk to the Township as the actual cost is dependent upon participation and is
unknown.
Option C – The Township could reimburse their residents for all or a portion of the bulky collection
cost. In this scenario the County would receive payment from Township residents who would then be
informed that they may contact the Township to seek full or partial reimbursement. Residents could
bring their County issued bulky collection receipt to the Township for a refund. This scenario would
give the Township more control over costs as they could choose to limit the reimbursement to once
per household annually, or to subsidize a portion of the $35 cost rather than pay for it entirely.
However, there remains a risk to the Township as cost is still dependent upon participation and which
is unknown. Staff understands that the Township currently runs a similar program to subsidize their
residents for the purchase of low flow toilets.
Staff notes that if either option B or C above would be implemented, the Township would be required
to conduct and bear the full cost of advertising to their residents specifically.
Financial and Resource Implications:
There are no financial or resources implications associated with this Item.
Relationship to Corporate Strategies:
The recommendation contained within this Item is consistent with the Waste Management Strategy
recommendation for provision of uniform waste collection services.
Reference Documents:
There are no reference documents attached to this Item.
Attachments:
The following schedules are attached and form part of this Item:
Schedule 1 – Letter from Tay Township dated March 18, 2013
June 12, 2013
Prepared By:
Corporate Services Committee CS 13-092
Willma Bureau, Contracts & Collections Supervisor
Approvals:
Date:
Rob McCullough, Director, Solid Waste Management
Debbie Korolnek, General Manager, Engineering, Planning and
Environment
Trevor Wilcox, General Manager, Corporate Performance
Mark Aitken, Chief Administrative Officer
May 29, 2013
May 30, 3013
June 5, 2013
June 5, 2013
Page 4