Victoria’s fleet of garbage trucks are overdue for replacement, staff are claiming more strain injuries, and pickup schedules remain weekly despite the fact residents are producing less trash.
The city is also facing increasing pressure to reward those who diligently recycle and compost with lower garbage-collection fees.
At Thursday’s Governance and Priorities meeting, city council will address these concerns. Options on the table include changing to bi-weekly collection and eliminating backyard pickup service. That would mean people would have to move their trash cans to the curb for pickup, as they do for their blue boxes. Seniors and those with disabilities would receive specialized service.
Also recommended by staff are standardized trash cans in a variety of sizes: the smaller the can, the cheaper the pickup cost. They could range in size from 80 to 120 litres.
Under the proposed model, collection costs could drop as low as $132 for families with the smallest can. The Cadillac model, offering weekly backyard service with the largest trash can, would cost $202. The current cost is $195.
On Thursday, council could approve the options for public consultations.
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Recycling a no-go
Staff also examined the cost of municipal recycling and organic-waste pickup, instead of delegating these services to the Capital Regional District. At $255 per resident, the municipal service would cost $16 more.