"I have a friend who lives in Scarborough and the word went around that you can easily remove the false bottom in the small garbage bins, effectively converting them into the same as medium ones," writes one reader.
That's not what we were thinking, but it's instructive.
Some 40 per cent of Scarborough residents figure they'll produce just one bag of non-recyclable waste every two weeks and have shown their intent by choosing the smallest of the grey garbage bins coming this summer and fall. (This is in addition to the blue recycling bins already being delivered.)
City officials figured between 10 and 30 per cent would opt for the smallest bin.
Households choosing the small bin get a $10 refund. Those choosing the largest bin pay $190 a year – money needed to fund the new system.
So city hall is watching the trend to see if it holds as the bins are rolled out across the city.
How is it possible to produce only one bag of non-recyclable trash every two weeks – especially when manufacturers force the stuff on consumers?
Some readers say it is so easy they've been living like that for years.
Others fear that those picking the small bin will dump their trash in their neighbour's bin, in commercial waste bins, ravines or on the street.
The list of non-recyclables is long enough to convince the timorous that such a drastic reduction is near impossible:
- Plastics: toys, makeup jars, caulking tubes, motor oil jugs, bags, plant trays and flower pots, pails with metal handles.
- Clear polystyrene: egg cartons and containers for fruit, vegetables, take-out beverage and food, baked goods.
- Glass: drinking glasses, dishes, cups, crystal, window glass, light bulbs, mirrors, pottery, pots and pans, makeup jars.
- Metal: coat hangers, pots and batteries.
- Others: foam containers, aluminium foil wrap and chip bags, waxed paper, foil gift wrap.
All this begs the question, why are these non-recyclable packaging types foisted on the consumer?
City officials are about to seek proposals from the private sector to recycle polystyrene (Styrofoam and clear plastic containers).
So by the time the new user-pay system kicks in, in late fall, the light but bulky Styrofoam and the thin but cumbersome clear plastic should be allowed in the blue box.
There are other ways to cope – some requiring activism on your part, others with the assistance of city hall and the packaging industry.
Be discriminating about what you buy and opt for stuff with a long lifespan. Bulk-buying helps.
And re-use, re-use, re-use.
If it's not recyclable or compostable, don't buy it. And if you must buy it, don't take it home.
Those clear plastic polystyrene containers for strawberries, omega eggs, muffins and the like? Leave them at the store. Or transfer the omega eggs to a regular recyclable egg carton.
Bulky packaging for batteries or toys? Leave the packaging at the store. Retailers will get the message. And if they protest, take your business elsewhere.
Get your household onside and aware. Tell the kids, "We've ordered a small garbage bin. Nothing goes into that bin that doesn't belong there, or it will cost us."
Waste separation in the bathroom is now challenging. Get a waste basket with two sections – one for recyclables such as diapers and one for hair and floss.
Keep pushing politicians, especially at the provincial and federal level where the jurisdiction resides, to legislate responsible packaging.
Painless, no; achievable, yes.
Royson James usually appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
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