A day after passing a property tax hike that will average about $83 more per household per year, city council passed a motion Wednesday to hike curbside garbage fees by as much as $126 per bin.
At the same time, those with the smallest trash bins will be paying only a few dollars more.
Mayor John Tory, who supported both the tax increase (which at 2.75 per cent was below the rate of inflation) and the garbage fee hike, said the garbage price increases are necessary for the city to get closer to recouping the real costs.
However, he also said that changes to the fees mean residents can actually save money by downsizing their black bins and putting more into the recycling bins, which are free of charge at any size.
“I hope it creates an incentive for people to do even more than they’re doing to divert waste,” he added.
As of April 1, the new prices (after rebates that also vary by bin size) will be:
Small - $10.63
Medium - $88.73
Large - $249.39
Extra-large - $343.60
That’s equivalent to a cost increase of:
Small - $3.91
Medium - $32.64
Large - $91.00
Extra-large - $126.39.
Matthew McGuire, president of the Toronto Taxpayers Coalition, blasted the fee hike on Wednesday.
"John Tory managed to hike taxes to pay for his budget today, but he spent whatever credibility he had as a fiscal conservative," he said.
