Dive Brief:
- A new report has Toronto city staff members urging Mayor John Tory to abandon his campaign pledge to privatize garbage collection in the east end. The report said the current system of private garbage collection west of Yonge Street and public collection to the east is the most economical because it "provides a competitive environment."
- In 2011, the city contracted out the west end, saving the city $11.5 million a year. That same move resulted in improvements in the east end, including lower wages and reduced sick time, saving $1.9 million. In 2014, west-end collection cost $30.1 million, while the trickier east end — with row houses, narrow streets and on-street parking — cost $36 million. The report projected that private collection in the eastern district of Scarborough would cost $22 million more than public collection from 2017-2023.
- The mayor’s spokeswoman, Amanda Galbraith, pointed to "unanswered questions in the report, including private-sector bid costs" and the impact of new collective bargaining agreements. Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Chairwoman Jaye Robinson said the report is surprising, and she would like to defer it from the city council's agenda.
Dive Insight:
Changes in trash collection always cause concern, as Chicago residents and those in Parma, OH, have discovered. Therefore, it's not surprising that the city staff is recommending no change to Toronto's system. The mayor has not responded to the report, and Robinson expressed skepticism that competition enhances productivity. "We’ve already got that in place," she told the Globe and Mail, because there are two private contractors in the west end.
The mayor's spokeswoman Amanda Galbraith said, in a statement, "The mayor remains committed to providing Toronto residents the best service at the lowest cost."
The report deserves a full and fair hearing by the city council and the mayor, despite his campaign pledge. Toronto residents also deserve to weigh in on the matter, as they are the ones whom the system change would directly affect.
