As more northern Ontario cities switch to automated garbage collection, efforts are being made to inform residents about what should go into their carts.
In Thunder Bay, officials are reminding the community that the rules for curbside collection remain unchanged, meaning only general, non-recyclable household waste is allowed.
“We’re close to four months in now and what we’re starting to see now is things that shouldn’t be in the carts, not regular household garbage,” said Jason Sherband, the city’s manager of Solid Waste & Recycling Services.
“So, things like large pieces of metal and steel, tree stumps [and] construction waste. I had one of the staff members mention that there were parts of a toilet in one of the carts.”
All these items can potentially harm trucks when dumped into them, which leads to “costly repairs and downtime,” Sherband explained.
When asked about why these problems might be happening now, he mentioned two main reasons.
LISTEN | Jason Sherband: Garbage Bins Item:
Superior Morning8:21Jason Sherband: Garbage Bins Item
Thunder Bay’s new rolling garbage carts can hold a lot.. But some heavy and solid items can jam and damage garbage trucks. Thunder Bay’s manager of Solid Waste and Recycling Services will explain what can and cannot be put out for curbside collection.
“When it was manual collection and staff were physically getting out of the trucks, if those items were there, they could see them and tag them for noncompliance and simply not collect it,” Sherband said.
“You can hide things easily in those carts and so a lot of times they’re seeing them as the garbage is being tipped into the truck.”
The second reason could be lack of education, according to Sherband. He noted that some people may just not realize or think they can throw anything in the carts.
Certain individuals might also know certain items shouldn’t go in but still try to sneak them in anyway, he added.
The larger bulky items ought to go directly to the city’s landfill instead, he advised.
“It’s going, I would say, extremely well. There’s just these things we’re learning, right? I think there are just some simple things [that] if people correct them would make everyone’s lives a lot easier,” Sherband said.
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A Similar Situation in Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie has faced its own issues with equipment being damaged due to large or bulky items found in its garbage carts, according to Mike Blanchard, the city’s manager of Waste Management. “We try to educate the public. We’ve had people put in construction material or even aggregates – sand, gravel [and] those types of things – and it doesn’t really damage the cart but it damages it when it gets dumped by the automated arm,” Blanchard said. He clarified that curbside collection is strictly for residential waste like kitchen scraps or household waste that fits within their designated containers.</P However, Blandchard agreed on needing better education as people looking just to dispose of their waste contribute partly to this problem currently seen.</P “We see things like broom handles sticking out that prevent automatic dumping properly,[which ]may cause damage on cart lids or even crack plastic ones,”Blanchard explained further.</P “Education remains a challenge, and we work alongside community partners for sharing information on this topic.”</P If someone places random objects inside, the city has an educational program allowing supervisors help clarify proper usage whenever they notice something amiss within collections systems,”he mentioned.”We also encourage residents having questions reach out through our website along with social media platforms which share information including tips relevant during winter.”</P The municipality offers procedures addressing any concerns brought up from citizens along with 24/7 dispatch services available directing inquiries toward appropriate personnel , a “very helpful” feature as per him.</P If Thunder Bay residents want clarity regarding proper disposal methods involving best practices related spacing guidelines, timeframes using extra bags etc., they’re welcome calling either municipal offices checking online at their official site.Source link
