Automated Garbage Collection

During the month of May, the City of St. John’s begins delivering carts to Phase II areas of the automated garbage collection program.

Residents included in Phase II will receive a cart with information on how the program will work. Once the cart arrives, residents are required to begin using it.

The automated garbage carts have a capacity of 240 litres and typically hold up to four, regularly sized garbage bags.

For information on the program and to see if your property is included in the Phase II, go to curbitstjohns.ca and look up your address in the “schedules” section.

Residents with questions about the program can email curbit@stjohns.ca or call 311 or 754-CITY (2489).

The first phase of the new automated garbage collection program is starting Monday, June 11 for approximately one third of City households. Carts and important information about storage, use, and maintenance will be delivered to homes in phase one during May.

Residents can find out if they are included in phase one of the program on the Curb It St. John’s website or by looking up their address on a map of the collection areas.

One cart will be provided to every household in phase one (including apartments) free of charge. The cart measures 26.7" W x 28.1"D x 40.5"H ( 67.8 cm x 71.4 cm x 102.8 cm).

In 2017 the City held extensive public engagement regarding automated garbage, including consultation with seniors and representatives of the City’s Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee. Individuals with mobility limitations can apply for an exemption to the program.

The City of St. John’s conducted extensive public engagement from April to June 2017 on the implementation of automated garbage collection, seeking feedback on bin size, funding models, implementation concerns and recycling habits. A synopsis of What we Heard is now available.

“Council is very pleased with the level of engagement on this topic and is grateful for the public’s participation in the process,” said Mayor Danny Breen, former Chair of the Public Works Standing Committee. “The majority of residents seem to favour the medium bin size, which we will take into account as we make our decisions about bin size moving forward.”

City staff conducted three focus groups with a cross section of residents prior to the launch of the public engagement process and then held 14 pop-up engagement sessions throughout the city with sample bins; participated in the home show; held meetings with a variety of committees and groups; held a technical briefing for media; and offered opportunities to provide input through this project page.

Over 500 people cast a vote on bin size at the pop-up events and there were more than 4,700 visits to the online engagement page. Overall, 63 per cent of survey respondents and 58 per cent of attendees at the pop-up events preferred the medium-sized bin.

“It was reassuring to hear that many residents are looking forward to the program and expect it will have a significant impact on reducing litter,” said Mayor Danny Breen.

The automated garbage program was announced in the 2017 budget, with anticipated implementation of phase 1 in 2018.

As part of our ongoing efforts to continuously improve our engagement work, we are collecting feedback on all of our engagement. Our survey on the engagement process for automated garbage collection is now closed. Thanks to all who participated.

City Council has voted to approve supply of the medium-sized bin (240 liters) for automated garbage collection. 　

The City held extensive public engagement on the implementation of automated garbage collection, including the preferred bin size. Overall, 63 per cent of survey respondents and 58 per cent of attendees at the engagement pop-up events preferred the medium-sized bin.　

The bin can hold the equivalent of four regular sized bags of garbage and supports on-going waste diversion efforts. Bins will be supplied to participating households at no additional charge. Replacement bins will be charged at full-cost recovery.　

Full details on which collection areas will be included in the first phase of the automated garbage program will be shared prior to implementation in 2018. Bins will be supplied to those areas only during the first phase.

**DEADLINE HAS PASSED FOR SUBMISSION**

April 18, 2017

LET’S TALK GARBAGE: Residents NEEDED FOR FOCUS GROUPS

Thanks to everyone who responded, this phase of public consultation is now closed.

The City of St. John’s is looking for residents who are interested in coming in to talk to us about garbage – and more specifically, automated garbage collection.

Focus groups will provide advice on several items including;

• Concerns related to the implementation of automated garbage collection

• Preferred size of garbage bin

• Suggestions on how to best reach out to the broader community

Two to three sessions will take place the week of May 1 to 5, to be scheduled at times convenient for participants.

If you are interested in participating please e-mail engage@stjohns.ca with your name, street address, number of people in your household, age, and primary concern related to automated garbage collection. Please indicate whether you are a landlord. Deadline to apply is Friday, April 28.

The City thanks all those interested. However, a total of 24 participants will be selected based on factors noted above. The general public will have a variety of opportunities to engage with the City on this topic in the coming weeks at engagestjohns.ca.

For more information please contact Access St. John’s, available to residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 311 or 709-754-CITY (2489) or online at www.stjohns.ca/access-311.