Simcoe County selects carts for new automated waste system

The County of Simcoe has taken another step towards the automated curbsite waste collection system that is to be launched at the end of the year.

In June, county council approved the new cart system is expected to make waste collections more consistent, offer additional storage for recyclables and organics, and provide added convenience for residents.

Yesterday, council reviewed a staff report on the procurement process and review the cart options to decide on the features, sizes, colours and locking mechanisms that were availble.

They decided on the following bins:

The carts on the right are a representation of the carts approved, however one significant change is the colour. Council approved the sourcing of all black carts with different coloured lids as they represented a significant cost savings. 

 Now that a decision has been made, staff have been tasked with working 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:

" Significantly reduced chance of injuries to drivers

" Expansion of the labour force by removing the significant manual labour aspect from the job

" Reduced litter from windblown materials through the use of large lidded carts for recycling

" Increased and convenient storage capacity for recyclables and organic green bin materials, as the County works to increase diversion and reduce garbage

" 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  

Please note - the new system will not apply to the cities of Barrie and Orillia.