HawthorneVillager.com

Who is going to operate your proposed exemption system for us? This would be a massive administrative undertaking would it not?
What medical conditions will qualify for your plan and which will be denied?
Why just Christmas and not any other religions holidays?

_________________
No, no. You know who was right all along? The Mongolians. They knew that you just can't wall yourself off from the outside world. Putting walls up never helps anything. Tearing them down brings us together.
-Randy-South Park

I've read this thread a couple times now and I'm still shaking my head trying to understand what it saying. English must not be my first language. Help me out here.....

If I understand it correctly:

1. In order to reduce the amount of waste in areas with weekly pick-ups, the Region is imposing a limit of bag per pick up, which works out to 6 bags per fortnight. It will cost more to go over the 3 bag limit.
2. Areas, such as Milton, which have bi-weekly pick up, currently meet that 6 bag per fortnight limit but this new proposal will translate to a 6 bags per month limit unless we want to pay extra for additional bags.
3. Freemantrailfamily is saying that nowhere in Halton receives weekly garbage pick ups but Tony opens his notice with “One of the recommendations is to decrease the once every week garbage bag limit from six bags to three bags per single family residential dwelling and introduce a Bags Tags program for the collection of garbage bags over the limit.”

This is a little confusing. Can someone provide a link to Report No. PW-52-12 so we can read it ourselves? If it’s tied to the once a week pick up, then it shouldn’t impact us as our number balances out. If it’s just a 3 bag limit across all areas, then Milton is being discriminated against with our bi weekly pick-up (we’re effectively 1.5 bags a week when other areas are 3 – so the tags should not be applicable to us). If there is no weekly pick up anywhere at all in Halton, then the Regional Councillors should know this and the proposal as outlined by Tony in the quote above is null and void and there is no issue regarding tags – they don’t apply. So which is it?

Google is amazing..

http://sirepub.halton.ca/agdocs.aspx?do ... emid=20465

PW-52-12 - Garbage Bag Limit and Bag Tags Program - PW-52-12.doc

Re my earlier post about asshats that don't use their greenbox

--
Recent studies have also shown the average Blue Box participation rate
remaining steady at approximately 95 per cent, however, the GreenCart participation rate in the
study areas has declined from 70 per cent to less than 60 per cent. The most recent waste
composition audit indicates the average household garbage contains 29 per cent acceptable
GreenCart material and 12 per cent acceptable Blue Box material.
--

I agree with the admin nightmare this would be. Would households have to apply each year for exemption status, providing proof of qualification? Would you have to involve the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to determine which medical conditions apply and will doctors charge a fee for signing validation forms etc? This exemption sounds nice but it doesn't sound like it was thought out clearly.

With regards to Christmas, will it really be necessary? Since the present wrappings and additional food waste is mostly recyclable, such an exemption will simply encourage people to chuck it all in a garbage bag rather than manage their waste.

Tony, when this proposal was put on the table, what sort of questions did you and Colin ask, impact statements did you make?

Thanks Devious.

If I interpret tony's quote correctly this is not a cash grab, but rather, net of revenue, this will COST us $602,000 annually, plus a one time expense of $261,000.
Did I get this right tony?

Edit: Forgot this......


$945,000 annually to redirect 1.5% from the landfill.

_________________
No, no. You know who was right all along? The Mongolians. They knew that you just can't wall yourself off from the outside world. Putting walls up never helps anything. Tearing them down brings us together.
-Randy-South Park

Did I just read that right, the program wil also require " One 1.0 FTE Waste Diversion Technician which will be incorporated into the 2013 budget at a cost of $ 100,000."
Wow I must be in the wrong line of work.

Direct quote "The purpose of this report is to seek Council approval to decrease the once every other week
garbage bag limit from six bags to three bags per single family residential dwelling and introduce
a Bag Tags program for the collection of garbage bags over the limit."

tony got it wrong. Hope that clarifies that this does indeed affect all of us.

_________________
No, no. You know who was right all along? The Mongolians. They knew that you just can't wall yourself off from the outside world. Putting walls up never helps anything. Tearing them down brings us together.
-Randy-South Park

From the report:

Exemptions to the Three Garbage Bag Limit
A grace period will be in place for the two weeks after the holiday season in December each year to accommodate the additional waste materials that are typically generated at this time of year.This grace period will allow residents to place a maximum of six garbage bags on their first designated garbage day following Christmas. This would be the only time residents could exceed the three bag limit without being required to use Bag Tags.

Furthermore, Halton Region will continue to provide an exemption to households that generate a large volume of garbage as a result of young children in diapers or a medical condition. Families with a minimum of two children under the age of three and household residents with a documented medical condition may submit a request for complimentary Diaper/Medical Condition Bag Tags. Households will be able to download or request via mail a Diaper/Medical Condition Application Form which is to be completed in order to receive complimentary Bag Tags.

So not Tony's idea but already in practice in the region. Sorry Tony for thinking you came up with this ridiculousness. Your wording implied that you were fighting for this. Now I have to go find out which conditions apply.

FINANCIAL/PROGRAM IMPLICATIONS

The net full annualized cost of the Three Garbage Bag Limit program, which includes the contracted price to collect and process waste material, promotion and education, the printing and distribution of Bag Tags, and tag revenue, is estimated to be $602,400, or $0.68 per $100,000 Current Value Assessment.

The cost also includes an additional 1.0 FTE for a Waste Diversion Technician, which will be incorporated as a Program Change in the 2013 Budget at a cost of $100,000. Once the program is fully implemented, there will be some cost reductions in future years related to promotion and education. Based on implementing the program on April 1, 2013, the cost of the Three Garbage Bag Limit and Bag Tags program of $261,000 will be included in the 2013 Budget and Business Plan for consideration.

As a councillor when I get these reports, one of the first things I read is the Financial Implications. Here it is in full. The OP quoted segments of the report in his post, so I urge everyone to read the full report online.

The FULL recommendation is:

RECOMMENDATION
1. THAT Council approve the Three Garbage Bag Limit and Bag Tags program effective April 1, 2013, as set out in Report No. PW-52-12.

2. THAT staff report back on the details of the Three Garbage Bag Limit and Bag Tags program implementation and communications plan in late fall 2012.

3. THAT the Regional Clerk forward a copy of Report No. PW-52-12 to the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville for their information.

So to answer a question previously asked, it will cost over $600,000 to implement this program. This program applies to single family dwelling homes. If you live in a multiple unit dwelling heres the info for those.

Multi-Residential Complexes with a Common Collection Point

Due to property layouts, a number of multi-residential complexes require residents to place their garbage, Blue Box and GreenCart at a common pile location in order to receive waste collection services from Halton Region. Traditionally, the volume of garbage generated by residents within a multi-residential complex is less than the garbage generated by single family households. As a
result, the overwhelming majority of multi-residential complexes generate no more than three bags of garbage per unit every other week.

Commencing April 1, 2013, the Region will collect a maximum of three bags of garbage per multi-residential unit for those locations that utilize a common collection point. Residents of these locations will not be required or permitted to purchase a Bag Tag to exceed the three garbage bag limit. The number of garbage bags collected from a common collection point will be determined
based on the number of units in the multi-residential complex multiplied by three. For example, a maximum of 45 garbage bags will be collected from a multi-residential complex with 15 units.

My own personal opinion is that Im concerned about the fact that the Region will be spending over a half million dollars plus on this program. From experience in other regions, the bag limit works when its weekly garbage pickup. I dont know how this will impact Halton because we have bi weekly pickup of garbage.

Im all for lowering the amount of waste that goes to our landfill but the costs to me seem a bit excessive. As Colin is the voting member of this committee, I'll be bringing those concerns to his attention.

_________________
Mike Cluett
Local/Regional Councillor
Wards 1,6,7 & 8

Website | Email mike@mikecluett.ca | Cell (647) 888-9032 | Facebook Page | | Twitter @Mike_Cluett

Thanks Mike, that's awesome. Please bring my concerns to Colin's attention too. Bottom line for me; on average I would definately be under 3 bags, but occasionally I would go over 3. Please don't make me sort my garbage into piles of goes out this week and hold onto for another 2 weeks.
I however have some reservations about your use of cut and paste of factual information from the source.
tony's practice of paraphrasing so as to appear as his own reporting and neglecting critical words is much more entertaining, confusing and conversation inducing.

_________________
No, no. You know who was right all along? The Mongolians. They knew that you just can't wall yourself off from the outside world. Putting walls up never helps anything. Tearing them down brings us together.
-Randy-South Park

On principle... Many won't pay more to throw out garbage, especially those taxpayers who already use blue/green bins. Every room I paint in my house is a giant garbage bag drop sheets and all...

I don't get what the phase in is for... Is it so people can learn to create less garbage? mattamy dumpsters just got a lot more popular!

- SMALL BAGS: this is annoying because i like smaller bags... you seal them more often ... there's a less likelihood of getting maggots/odour.... Now I'm going to have to buy the max size bags and fill them with smaller bags.

- CONSUMER PRODUCTS: Now when you buy any furniture or tv or ... consider leaving the huge Styrofoam pieces back @ the store.

- Consider 5 free tags per year.

Im sorry Norts999....I'll try to confuse a little more in future postings and not be so darned detailed.

Thanks for your input.

Mike

_________________
Mike Cluett
Local/Regional Councillor
Wards 1,6,7 & 8

Website | Email mike@mikecluett.ca | Cell (647) 888-9032 | Facebook Page | | Twitter @Mike_Cluett

The solution is right under our noses'.
Dump your excess bags at a multi-residential complex on your way out of town.
Did I solve the riddle? I hope there are bag tag prizes.

_________________
No, no. You know who was right all along? The Mongolians. They knew that you just can't wall yourself off from the outside world. Putting walls up never helps anything. Tearing them down brings us together.
-Randy-South Park

If this does go through, these are great points...especially the number of free tags. In other areas when they moved to bag tags, each residence was mailed free tags in the beginning.

_________________
Mike Cluett
Local/Regional Councillor
Wards 1,6,7 & 8

Website | Email mike@mikecluett.ca | Cell (647) 888-9032 | Facebook Page | | Twitter @Mike_Cluett