Switching gears on waste bins

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

Existing waste bins at city recreation facilities will be replaced with multi-stream and recycling receptacles with the hope of creating new revenue.

Council approved the plan to move away from current practices at the Legends Centre, Civic Recreation Complex, Northview Community Centre,  Donevan Recreation Complex and South Oshawa Community Centre at its latest meeting.

According to a staff report for council, there are several reasons for the change.

First off, recent changes to provincial legislation, such as the Waste Free Ontario Act of 2016, are increasing focus on waste diversion not only in private homes but the public sector as well.

The Waste Free strategy has set a provincial waste diversion goal of 50 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.

Staff also noted that public space recycling programs have been developed in many municipalities and businesses to varying degrees.

“The delivery of municipal public space recycling programs can vary based on the needs associated to specific areas,” the report reads.

The city will also look at finding advertising opportunities to coincide with the new waste bins.

A third-party operator, Creative Outdoor Advertising, currently operates the waste/recycling bins at the Legends Centre, as well as others at City Hall and Alexandra Park.

The city does not receive any revenue from the advertising placed on these bins. Staff also note this practice create challenges to “streamlining waste and recycling receptacles” and sponsorship ‘conflict of interests.’

However, Creative Outdoor Advertising provides the bins to the city free of charge.

Waste ‘audits’ performed at the Legends Centre over the summer found:

– Almost half of the items in the can and bottle recycling stream were non-recyclable, organic or paper materials such as coffee and take-out beverage cups and straws

– About 45 per cent of items in the paper recycling stream were coffee cups, water bottles and food packaging

– Nearly 55 per cent of materials in garbage bins could have been composted or recycled

 

Councillor Gail Bates noted “people have gotten rather lazy when it comes to recycling,” and questioned whether better education is needed.

The city doesn’t currently have a consistent policy or plan for implementing waste management programs in public spaces such as the Legends Centre.

Staff has recommended a number of practices that would go hand-and-hand with future plans.

These include clearly marked and labelled bins, ‘clear, consistent and visible’ branding and signage, ongoing monitoring and reporting by staff to ensure the program meets its mandate and improved public education.

In all 59 waste and recycling bins would need to be replaced at the six recreation facilities. The estimated cost is $86,000 in capital funds in 2019.

It is also believed the cost of a public awareness campaign would be approximately $5,000.

Based on a four-year plan that assumes the city would achieve a 100 per cent rental of advertising spaces on the waste bins, revenues are projected at $14,000 to $21,000 in the first year, then increasing to $70,000 per year by the fourth year.

Councillor Rick Kerr said based on staff estimates the city would be “looking at a payback of two or three years for these bins.”

“Anything under seven years is good. That is rather exceptional,” Kerr said, calling the plan “an excellent move forward.”

Councillor Doug Sanders questioned why the owner of Creative Outdoor Advertising hadn’t been contacted regarding the changes.

He asked for the motion to be referred back to the city’s community services committee, however, his request was voted down 6-5.

It is expected the new multi-stream and recycling receptacles will be in place sometime in 2019.