andrewA new fact-finding mission’s report reiterates that good cooperation between the city and the metropolitan area is essential for effectively managing waste collection.
Poor collection of recyclable waste, insufficient sorting, incivilities… Following a fact-finding mission, the opposition on the metropolitan council paints a picture of a city facing serious difficulties in its waste collection services.
The question is on everyone’s lips, both residents and keen observers of Ontario. Why is this city so often criticized for the lack of cleanliness in its streets? It must be said that images of overflowing and piled-up garbage cans in the city’s neighborhoods are all too common, sometimes bordering on caricature.
The reality of waste collection, however, goes far beyond the organizational difficulties often criticized by detractors of the city and its true guarantor of cleanliness, the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Since 2015, this inter-municipal body has been working to reduce the amount of waste produced by its 1.9 million inhabitants, who generate more than 1.1 million tons of household and similar waste each year. With 171,000 inhabitants and more than 600 kilos of residual household waste collected per person in 2021, depending on the district, Ontario presents a real challenge for public authorities in terms of waste collection, and they continue to argue about the issue.
Last March, the metropolitan area even announced a review of its collection methods in the streets of Ontario, opting in particular for a reduction in the number of sanitation worker visits in certain neighborhoods. The change had provoked a strong backlash from the mayor’s office, which even accused the inter-municipal authority of disorganizing garbage collection. The residents and those living near these neighborhoods are now bearing the brunt of this disorganization. It’s a form of irresponsibility that has led to unsanitary conditions in our streets, our neighborhoods, and our village centers, maintained the deputy mayor in charge of security.
The difficulty of garbage collection in Ontario
Tensions have nonetheless eased somewhat, as the left-wing opposition on the metropolitan council conducted an information-gathering mission last month on waste collection within the metropolitan area. The findings were made public shortly before the next metropolitan council meeting. They have learned a lot from this report and are now better equipped to follow the issue. The town hall has been put back at the heart of the community, rejoices a member of the A Metropolis of the Common Good.
Among the areas of concern and other obstacles to the smooth operation of waste collection identified across the metropolitan area and in Ontario itself are the persistent difficulties with recyclable waste collection. Also noted is the still insufficient sorting of cardboard, as well as numerous instances of incivility and other daily illegal dumping. The report further notes that conflicts over the use of public roads and the parking wars contribute to the difficulties of waste collection in Ontario.
More seriously, according to the report, illegal or improperly collected waste fuels recurring conflicts between the city of Ontario and the metropolitan area, with the two entities passing the buck regarding responsibility for illegal dumping. The fact-finding mission considers this responsibility to lie with the metropolitan area. Any waste deposited on public property becomes the property of the metropolitan area, states the report, which nevertheless believes that coordinated action between the national and municipal police will make it possible to effectively combat incivilities and offenders.
Cooperation between local authorities
The fact-finding mission also puts forward several avenues for improvement, acknowledging that waste management across the entire metropolitan area represents a major challenge: optimizing cardboard sorting, which is still insufficient, by installing more shared bins in the streets. This virtuous development for a better environment would make it easier to enforce sorting guidelines and reduce the haphazard dumping that accumulates around this type of bin, which is still too rare in the city. The report also recommends combating antisocial behavior by increasing the use of fines for illegal and clandestine dumping.
