Taking out the trash in Toronto just got a little pricier and some residents are already saying the deal stinks.
The city has begun to implement its pay-as-you-throw program, forcing residents to order municipality-issued garbage bins. However, the city ran out of the medium-sized receptacle, leaving about 15 per cent of families without a bin.
Those families are upset because they are still being forced to pay the fee, even though they are not receiving the bin until likely after the new year.
"About 75,000 families like mine haven't gotten their bins yet because so many people ordered medium, we ran out of stock," said Coun. Glenn DeBaermaker, chair of the city's public works committee.
In the meantime, residents who are without the bin have to attach a pink tag on their garbage bags or the trash won't get hauled away.
"It's annoying for sure," said one resident. "It's very disorganized."
Some councillors said the plan has been plagued with problems from the beginning.
"It would have been better to roll out the program once it was tested out, before starting to charge people," said Coun. Karen Stintz in an interview with CTV Toronto.
Stintz said she also has a problem with the way the program is being monitored. The city has warned residents who try to cheat the system by throwing their trash into the recycling bin that they will be fined.
"We don't need the garbage police," she said. "We absolutely don't need people checking garbage. It's really a question of priorities."
The pay-as-you-throw program was implemented by the city as a means of reaching its goal to divert more waste.
Everyone who purchases a bin will receive a $209 rebate from the city. The cost after the rebate is $190 for an extra-large bin, $133 for a large bin and $39 for a medium bin.
Before rebate, a small bin costs $199. The city has decided to apply the extra $10 from the rebate to water charges currently due on a homeowner's utility bill.
