66 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Thanks for the info, VHF.

[Mike K.]

The City of Victoria has updated us on the garbage issue and says residents of zones 6-10 can drop off garbage at the public works yard along Bridge street.

Zone 6-Zone 10 residents can drop off one free bag of garbage in Feb at the Public Works Yard (Saturdays 7am-2pm)

[LJ]

The City of Victoria has updated us on the garbage issue and says residents of zones 6-10 can drop off garbage at the public works yard along Bridge street.

Oh, that would be a great way to spend your Saturday, line up with a bunch of other people with stinking garbage.

No thanks.

[LJ]

So does every homeowner have a choice in how often and how much garbage is picked up, and each homeowner pays accordingly, or does the municipality simply contract out garbage collection with a set amount of monthly pick ups and volumes?

Yes the homeowner gets to choose how often and how much pick up he wants. You can also suspend your service if you are going to be away for a period of time.

[akimbo]

First, if you are looking for another reason to not legalize your basement suite, here it is: Your utility taxes for garbage will double even if you still put out the same amount of garbage because you MUST have two garbage bins if you have a legal suite. I'm not talking about a strata duplex, just your mom-and-pop basement suite. Our garbage bill went from $174 to $390/yr after we legalized our suite, even though we have only 3 people combined living under this roof. We are a green household, but noooooo, the City says we must have double garbage service. A family of 5 with a couple of UVIC students tucked into their basement pays less than an environmentally-conscious, legal-suite household of 3. How about 'user pay' as a novel concept for the City of Victoria, i.e. you generate more garbage, you pay more. Take a look at the fees for bin sizes--the difference between the small 80L bin and the large 180L bin is only $36 a year. Not exactly an incentive to reduce garbage and gain awareness about excess packaging, etc.

Furthermore, I'll bet that since the garbage collectors are no longer poking their heads into our modest 100 liter garbage cans, folks are going to be tossing their electronics, yard waste, styrofoam and other recyclables into their big-ass, costs-only-$1.36-more-biweekly, 180 liter bins. Why schlep your big-ass SUV to a recycling depot and pay an enviro fee for disposal when you can just dump it for free in your big-ass bin.

Now for the green bins. For crying out loud, who out there tosses out 120 liters of waste food in a two week period!? And isn't it better to put your vegetables and fruit leftovers in the composter? Even if you don't, it doesn't amount to that much. OK, you can put your tissues, paper towels, and paper cups and plates in the green bin, but aren't we supposed to avoid buying paper towels and plates? As for left overs, we eat it, freeze it or compost it. Fish and chicken bones? --those and our tissues might add up to 4 liters in two weeks, not 120, yet the City asserts that a whopping 30% of garbage is food waste. I didn't know that Victoria was such an affluent city. When I look around I see a lot young families or pensioners, like us, who are trying to squeeze the most out of their income.

And if that isn't bad enough here comes another expense (from the City's www), "You must line your "kitchen catcher" with newspaper, a paper bag, or a compostable bag with the compostable logo. Biodegradable or plastic bags are not accepted. Compostable bags will be available for sale in February at the Public Service Centre at City Hall, at the Crystal Pool and Fitness centre, and at most grocery stores." <sigh>

Don't get me wrong.
Ergonomically it's high time we stop having some human lifting all our garbage by hand. I just wish the new bins were a more equitable system that makes the big users pay a LOT more and the the law-biding, environmentally conscious folks paying less.

[G-Man]

I don't get the "you must line your kitchen catcher". I mean it is in your house. Who cares?

[Mike K.]

Have you looked up whether or not you can opt out of garbage services?

[VicHockeyFan]

Ergonomically it's high time we stop having some human lifting all our garbage by hand. I just wish the new bins were a more equitable system that makes the big users pay a LOT more and the the law-biding, environmentally conscious folks paying less.

It's a government-run operation, why would they possibly make it equitable?

[VicHockeyFan]

Have you looked up whether or not you can opt out of garbage services?

There is at least one family in Saanich that opts out, by demonstrating that they produce so little waste. They have to apply every year, or two years, and they are granted the exemption, and they receive a reduced tax bill.

[weirdie]

I don't get the "you must line your kitchen catcher". I mean it is in your house. Who cares?

I think it probably means, "Use a compostable bag of some sort and don't throw your scraps directly into the pick-up bin." Probably trying to avoid the "compost tea" getting too out of hand.

[VicHockeyFan]

...don't throw your scraps directly into the pick-up bin."

I'll bet that takes some time for folks to figure that out. I'm guessing right off the bat they have over 10% inserting plastic bags.

[Bernard]

I have my new bins and I am trying to figure out how we will ever fill the Green bin every two weeks with kitchen scraps. We produce a lot of compostable material but even with adding the new stuff to the mix I am not sure how we would get to the volume the bin would suggest.

[Mike K.]

^we're wondering the same thing. There's no way we'll come close to filling that thing every two weeks.

What the City should have done is reduce the bins for all homes to 120L, pick them up every week, and pick up 60L or 80L green bins every two weeks. As is the green bins will likely end up a quarter full every two weeks and the black bins will be overflowing.

[VicHockeyFan]

I have my new bins and I am trying to figure out how we will ever fill the Green bin every two weeks with kitchen scraps.

Shoot more urban deer. All their bones and vital organs that are unsuitable for consumption will fill one up pretty quick.

[akimbo]

I have my new bins and I am trying to figure out how we will ever fill the Green bin every two weeks with kitchen scraps. We produce a lot of compostable material but even with adding the new stuff to the mix I am not sure how we would get to the volume the bin would suggest.

Agree. Now it would be nice if we could fill our green bin with weeds and other yard waste. As it is our kitchen greens go into the composter. I would hate to meet the family that fills up 120 liters with paper plates and bones.

[Bingo]

Agree. Now it would be nice if we could fill our green bin with weeds and other yard waste.

You will be able to do that if you live in Saanich, once their program is operating.

[Mike K.]

I was just thinking that putting garden waste into the bins would partially offset their massive size. Do we know for a fact that garden waste is not permitted? Surely there's little difference between fallen leaves and uneaten lettuce.

[Bernard]

I was just thinking that putting garden waste into the bins would partially offset their massive size. Do we know for a fact that garden waste is not permitted? Surely there's little difference between fallen leaves and uneaten lettuce.

I can not see anywhere that it says you can not but the very name "Kitchen Scraps" that implies the limit.

Has anyone noticed the price to buy the bags? They are not cheap. We use one every other day, which would be 180 a year. That is six boxes of 20 or about $130 a year extra cost.

[sebberry]

I can not see anywhere that it says you can not but the very name "Kitchen Scraps" that implies the limit.

Has anyone noticed the price to buy the bags? They are not cheap. We use one every other day, which would be 180 a year. That is six boxes of 20 or about $130 a year extra cost.

$50 more and you have a garburator that will last you for years.

[gumgum]

I can not see anywhere that it says you can not but the very name "Kitchen Scraps" that implies the limit.

Has anyone noticed the price to buy the bags? They are not cheap. We use one every other day, which would be 180 a year. That is six boxes of 20 or about $130 a year extra cost.

You can line it with newspaper or paper bag.