Some Toronto residents say new recycling bins are 'big' problem

11.05.2008 20:00 Shopping - Source: cbc.ca

Some Toronto residents using the city's new blue recycling bins have some extra-large complaints.

They say the new bins are oversized, awkward, unsightly and difficult to store — and they're not looking forward to the next step in the city's recycling campaign: big bins for wet garbage.

Patrick Morrison lives in an apartment in Toronto's Chinatown. To get his blue bin to the street he needs to negotiate a steep staircase. He says Toronto's new blue bin wasn't built for downtown life. It's just too big.

"We don't have a backyard where we can keep these things," Morrison said. "You know, some of these apartments are 20 feet square. Where are we supposed to keep big bins?"

But for Morrison and many other like him, "big blue" is going to have to move over.

The city is now taking orders for new black garbage bins — part of a plan to reduce overall waste by 70 per cent. Households must pick a size. Each size has a price.

So, the more you throw away, the higher the fee.

The bins themselves act as a measure to help inspectors track who tosses how much.

"We want to move towards this system for a couple of reasons," said Rob Orpin, the city's director of Toronto solid waste management collections operations.

"One, it measures obviously how much you put out, and the second one is for our ability to start automating the system. We're moving into the 21st century here now, and we want to make the system as cost-efficient as possible."

Orpin admits the new black containers are just as cumbersome as the blue ones, but he says the city will try to work out the problems.

"Some people — and I say some, a small amount — may not be able to use these bins because of storage issues. And we'll work with them to overcome those issues."

An information line has been set up for residents ask questions.

Orpin says if the bins aren't working out, the city will even make housecalls. That way residents and the city can find a solution together.

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