Introducing the new solid waste management fee for apartments and condominiums

Starting July 1, 2008, owners of apartments, condominium and co-op buildings will pay a fee based on how much garbage residents generate.

The solid waste management fee will be calculated monthly, and replaces the $157 per-unit fee for managing garbage that buildings owners currently pay through their property taxes. The fee will appear with water fees on a new, combined Toronto Water/Solid Waste Utility Bill. It will pay for existing solid waste programs and services, as well as new initiatives designed to enable the City to achieve its 70 per cent diversion goal by 2010 (see sidebar, “Getting serious about waste diversion”). There is no fee for recycling or bulky item collection, which means buildings that reduce garbage and increase recycling will pay less.

How to estimate your fee
You can estimate the fee for your building using an online calculator on the City of Toronto website at www.toronto.ca/garbage/multi. As the City continues to collect data on the weight and volume of waste set out by multi-unit dwellings, the mathematical formula used by the calculator may be adjusted to make sure actual revenues are in line with projected revenues. As a consequence, you may find that the actual fee on your utility bill is lower than your online estimate. Notice of any changes will be posted on the website.

How to keep your costs down
By working together, owners, property managers, superintendents and residents can increase recycling, meet City bylaws and reduce fees. Here’s how:

• The more recycling, the less garbage—and the less garbage, the lower the fee: make every effort to strengthen your recycling program.
• Only set out full bins of garbage (all bins collected are billed as if they are full).
• Tune compactors to achieve a 3:1 compaction ratio.
• Provide adequate space for residents’ recycling and bulky waste, which is collected at no cost.
• Remove recycling and bulky waste mistakenly placed in waste bins.
• Educate and encourage residents to reduce, re-use and recycle.
• Participate in the Green Bin Program when it arrives in 2009.
• Order in-unit / in-suite recycling containers when they’re offered later in 2008 (see sidebar, “Up close and personal”).

Find help online
You’ll find lots of up-to-date and useful resources on the City of Toronto website (www.toronto.ca/garbage/multi); for example:

• “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) that provides background and details for residents and owners (including information on how to estimate the fee, billing information, the property tax rebate, and recycling obligations).
• Dates and times of City-sponsored information sessions, with supporting staff reports and presentations.
• Free downloads (keep checking the website for new communications tools and updates):
  • Promotional material (see, “How to improve recycling at your building,” below);
  • Pre-written letters you can use to introduce the program to residents;
  • A selection of short, ready-to-use articles you can use in your resident newsletters.
• Updates and changes to the program.

How to improve recycling at your building
Two strategies in particular contribute to an effective recycling program that reduces costs: keep your recycling and garbage collection areas and containers clean, convenient and well-organized; and, continually educate residents on what you expect of them.

Help is at hand in the form of free promotional items and a City-sponsored advertising campaign set to launch this summer.

Free promotional items: Call City of Toronto customer services at 416-338-2010 for free promotional items, including Toronto Recycles posters and bin stickers. You can also download certain items from the “Recycling and garbage basics” section at www.toronto.ca/garbage/multi; for example:  

• Toronto Recycles information cards (available in 23 languages);
• A handbook on recycling, reducing and re-using for owners, property managers and superintendents, full of guidelines, tips and techniques.

City advertising campaign: Starting in late June, newspaper and outdoor ads encouraging residents of apartments and condominiums to recycle, will appear across the city. Watch for ads in ethnic newspapers, the Metro and Toronto Star, and for outdoor ads in transit shelters and the subway. These ads will be available for use in buildings. Watch www.toronto.ca/garbage/multi for ordering information.

More questions?
For general program questions, call 416-338-2010. For solid waste management fee questions, call 416.392.2467, or email multires@toronto.ca.

Sidebar A:
Who’s affected?
The solid waste management fee will apply to multi-unit buildings or complexes with centralized, communal style set-out and collection. This includes: apartments, condominiums, co-ops, hi-rises, lo-rises, some town home complexes, and front end, rear bin, flower pot and pile customers. Residents living in houses receiving City collection will also pay a garbage fee.

Sidebar B:
Getting serious about waste diversion
Toronto is serious about keeping 70 per cent of waste from going to landfill by 2010. Last June, Council approved a new plan to achieve this goal, including the new funding system for multi-residential buildings and single-family houses receiving solid waste collection by the City. The new funding system will cover all of the current and future costs of collecting and disposing of garbage, sorting and processing of recyclables, litter prevention, landfill management, and other diversion programs, such as expanding the Green Bin Program to apartments, condominiums and townhouses.

Sidebar C:
Up close and personal
During the garbage and recycling pilot projects in 2007, building owners and residents expressed an interest in having small recycling containers that could be used in-unit or in-suite. The City expects to begin distributing these containers as soon as the fall of 2008. Watch www.toronto/garbage/multi for program specifics, including a possible web-based order form.

Sidebar D:
Watch for the Green Bin Program
Council has approved the launch of the Green Bin Program to apartments, condominiums and co-ops. However, the organics processing industry in Ontario has experienced some capacity issues, which will likely result in a delay of the City’s planned implementation date of November 1, 2008. Details to follow in several months. For updates, visit www.toronto.ca/multi.

Viewing and printing PDF files requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If Acrobat Reader is not installed on your computer system, you can download it at no cost by clicking here: