NEWS RELEASE
COUNTY OF SIMCOE
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In late 2021, the County of Simcoe will be moving to a cart-based collection system for its curbside waste collection services. The automated cart system will bring further consistency to waste collections, additional storage for recyclables and organics, and added convenience to residents.
In June, County Council approved the move to the new automated cart collection system to be implemented in late 2021. The cart system and collection contractor (Miller Waste Services) are not being reviewed on Tuesday.
County staff have recently completed a detailed procurement process to identify a preferred vendor to produce and provide carts to the County. At County of Simcoe Committee of the Whole meeting on Nov 24, 2020, Councillors will review cart options, including features, sizes, colours and locking mechanisms provided by the selected vendor.
County Councillors will review these options and decide which model will be the best suited for Simcoe County residents and our system. Following a decision, staff will work on implementing a distribution strategy to deliver carts to all County households. The County will distribute each household with three new complimentary wheeled carts before the change takes effect in November 2021, which will include one cart for each material, sized appropriately, for bi-weekly recycling, garbage, and weekly organics.
“The cart system will be a change for Simcoe County residents, but experiences from many other municipalities who have moved to this system indicate that once the transition is made, households appreciate the added level of convenience including closed lids, wheels and additional storage space for some materials,” said Rob McCullough, Director of Solid Waste Management, County of Simcoe. “Operationally, the automated system will also help address some labour challenges that has led to delays and collection impacts in the past. We look forward to rolling this program out to our residents in late 2021.”
About automated cart collection:
Many municipalities across Ontario and throughout North America have switched to the automated cart system. This system utilizes a mechanical arm, on each collection vehicle, that picks up, empties and places the carts back on the curb with the driver rarely needing to leave the cab. The carts include wheels making them very convenient and easy to transfer to and from the curb. Key benefits include:
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Significantly reduced chance of injuries to drivers
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Expansion of the labour force by removing the significant manual labour aspect from the job
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Reduced litter from windblown materials through the use of large lidded carts for recycling
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Increased and convenient storage capacity for recyclables and organic green bin materials, as the County works to increase diversion and reduce garbage
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Reducing the potential spread of infection and reducing the risk of collections services being impacted should collection forces become ill as carts are not physically touched by collection staff
The information above does not apply to the cities of Barrie and Orillia.
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