About 5,300 Simcoe County residents have put in requests to have their curbside waste carts swapped for smaller sizes so far.
During Tuesday morning’s (Feb. 22) committee of the whole meeting, Rob McCullough, the county's Director of Solid Waste Management, provided an update to county councillors on more changes coming to the new waste collection cart system, including new options for residents with disabilities.
McCullough said the 5,300 units that have requested cart size swaps so far accounts for about 3.5 per cent of serviced units.
“All of the new carts have been manufactured and we’re expecting the last truckloads to be delivered today,” said McCullough.
He said there have been about 163 requests for additional recycling or organics bins for serviced units.
Deliveries of the swapped carts will be starting the week of March 7, and are expected to take about a month.
In regards to accessibility options, under the current cart system, residents are allowed to leave carts at or near the curb if they are too cumbersome to move, as well as having the option to swap out the default carts for smaller sizes.
SEE MORE: County waste carts raise accessibility questions for local committee
One of the new options for residents with disabilities include having the lid of the carts removed, and county staff would drill a drainage hole in carts in these instances. Residents may also have the option of having fees waived for directly dropping off waste at an existing waste facility instead of having curbside pick up.
In order to be eligible for the new accessibility options, the county is planning to have an application process for further accommodation that would need to be signed off on by a physician, registered nurse practitioner, licensed physiotherapists, registered occupational therapist or licensed optometrist/ophthalmologist.
A county staffer would consult with the resident, perform a site evaluation of their property and propose an accommodation, which could include a specialized walk-up service.
The application would be renewed annually to ensure the accommodation is required, however, the treating healthcare professional information would only be required every five years.
During Tuesday’s meeting, McCullough said the costs of these measures cannot yet be estimated until it is known how many residents would require special accommodation, however, costs for 2022 will be funded by the county surplus or through the Waste Management Contingency Reserve with ongoing costs to be included in future year's budgets.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) aims to identify, remove and prevent barriers for people with disabilities. The AODA became law on June 13, 2005 and applies to all levels of government, non-profits, and private-sector businesses in Ontario that have one or more employees.
Under the AODA, the government is responsible for creating accessibility standards that organizations must follow, with the ultimate goal being to make Ontario more accessible and inclusive by 2025.
As the council member that sits on the county’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, Clearview Deputy Mayor Barry Burton said he was appreciative to the county for looking into the matter and proposing solutions.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Deputy Mayor James Leduc asked about compensation for residents applying for an accommodation, as a doctor’s signature can cost between $10 and $30.
“Many of these people will be on ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program), or CPP (Canada Pension Plan), so on a fixed income,” said Leduc. “I hoped this house would look at full compensation because they deserve to get this service. I don’t think they should be penalized for having a disability.”
In the end, the committee voted in favour of receiving the report and moving forward with the proposed additional accommodation options. The decision will need to be ratified at the next meeting of county council on March 8 before going into effect.
The county moved to its new automated cart system Nov. 1 – a move that sparked a flood of concerns from residents about the size of the bins.
On Oct. 26 during a council workshop on the matter, county council pivoted on their one-size-fits-all sizing position, voting in favour of allowing residents to swap their existing carts for smaller sizes by request.
