A long-awaited report on the status of Guelph’s solid waste collection shows there is an overall satisfaction of how things are done, but there could be room for improvement and 11 recommendations have been made for council’s consideration.
The final report was released on Thursday following a study that began at the end of 2016 and it will go before council on May 28.
The recommendations include increasing yard waste collection from twice per year to bi-weekly collection between April and November. It would cost $480,000 annually.
The report also suggests increasing the lifespan of the trucks from seven to 10 years and cutting back hours at the drop-off facility.
Some of the other recommendations in the report are already underway or yet to be implemented by council.
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Increasing waste pickup for multi-residential properties was already approved by during the 2018 budget process and will be phased in this year and 2019.
Guelph has also already cancelled a contract with Simcoe County to process their recyclables that was severely hurting the city’s materials recovery facility.
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The city was losing over $2 million a year and was forced to lay off 18 employees at the facility, but without the contract, the report suggests savings of $740,000 per year.
Despite the issues around the facility, the report showed an overall satisfaction with waste collection in Guelph and even though their landfill diversion rate is still among the highest of comparable municipalities, it’s 10 per cent less than what it was three years ago.
Other recommendations include moving forward with the solid waste master plan, enhancements to financial analysis and forecasting, and creating a financial reserve.
“Overall, the solid waste service review moves us forward on the path of continuous improvement and service enhancement — a win-win for city staff and the Guelph community,” said Scott Stewart, deputy CAO.
The report made no mention of privatization or outsourcing garbage collection, which was feared by some during the study.
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