Has new collection system been thought through?

March 27, 2015 · 0 Comments

The article last week about the roll-out of another recycling scheme by Peel Region got me wondering if central planning ever thinks these things through.
If they had checked Caledon’s demographics, they would have discovered that the average resident is 50 years old, so manually handling these carts may be difficult for many; more so when there’s a two-week load involved.
Folks in the country have longer driveways than those in Brampton or Mississauga, and that will make the chore a bigger problem. The carts shown were designed for smooth paved driveways and look to be a flimsy piece of work that won’t last too long on country driveways. They were designed for the convenience of those collecting the garbage. not a gravel driveway with say, four inches on snow on it. The wheels are so small there’s little clearance under them, so they’ll act like a snow plow if pushed. They will end up having to be dragged down the driveway in many cases. I can see people leaving them at the end of the driveway and filling them up as they go so they don’t have to go through the trouble.
I went to the Region’s website seeking answers to my concerns with little success. They had a video that showed everyone wheeling the carts to a curb in the summer time. In the country, there is often a ditch beside the driveway so driveway space has to be used for the carts. One can only hope the snowplows will not use them for target practice as they do with mailboxes.
Little useful information was available on capacity, except for the smaller bin and that was noted in litres which would be handy if all you were putting out was liquids. How many level blue boxes now used for recyclables will each size accommodate? What happens if you miss a week and your cart won’t carry the extra load when it’s time for collection? Will you be two weeks behind forever, or will you be able to drop off the excess at a local collection box?
The website does state the one bin is racoon proof, which remains to be seen. The last one was discarded because the chippies and/or ants ate their way in shortly after being tried out. Now, we use a more efficient free service for scraps that aren’t destined for our composter; the crows and the critters. They visit every day and announce their arrival if there are no goodies available. If there is, it’s gone in a couple of hours. And I don’t have to consult a special calendar to use their service’ it’s provided 24/7.
The folks inflicting this on us tout the fact that the system had a trial run in Caledon, but since it was done in the fall when, surprisingly, there’s no snow on the ground, I don’t consider the trial worthy of the name. And those “savings” they’re promising? Taxpayers will never see them.
Like many government programs, this one is designed for citizens to serve the government rather than the other way around.
It may be time to set up my own landfill site.
Hill Cox,
Caledon