Comments on: Green Bin Program contaminated by funding issues

By: calum nairn

calum nairn — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:02:52 +0000

Nice article found your site searching in bing I think you could have taken a more neutral view.

By: Meagan

Meagan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:48:53 +0000

I wanted to share this with you. Perhaps before you start filling that green bin.

This: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgnphotography/4109563821/

is what happened to my green bin (containing loose leaf tea and onions) between last Thursday (Nov. 12) and today (Nov. 16). Super great the raccoon didn’t get in through the lid, IT JUST ATE THROUGH THE BIN instead.

We called the City, and they will be bringing us a new one (free of charge), but seriously, how many replacements am I going to need? Because whatever “tests” they put these things through, they obviously didn’t invite my friendly neighbourhood pest to give it a go.

Apparently raccoons don’t like the smell of Vicks Vaporub. So, we shall see.

By: A very long post from the compost queen of Westboro >> a peek inside the fishbowl

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:55:07 +0000

[...] annoyed with the City with their suddenly unveiling of a user fee (thoughtfully discussed by Zoom over here). Especially this point (to which I say, YEAH SISTAH!): Why is the cost of the program being [...]

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:58:26 +0000

See, I didn’t know about all the Mayor Larry stuff until now. He seems like such a nice guy. But I hate taxes. And I’m still waiting on my green bin.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:00:22 +0000

My excitement over the new green bin program has faded slightly since the tax issue has come up. I expect to pay for the extra services but agree it is unfair to charge large families the same as a single person. It should have been decided long before the bins went out, after all, the program has been in the works for years. I expect there will be more surprises ahead. Do you think Larry will be charging us for the amount of bags we put out on the curb? Thanks for the reminder to separate the two issues. A good composting program was needed for Ottawa. We’ll see how it goes….

By: mudmama

mudmama — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:43:46 +0000

Only that Nova Scotia has NO PLACE to put waste. We rural dwellers are fighting Halifax’s bright idea of dumping treated sewage on our fields as “bio-solids” – can you imagine all the toxins like heavy metals that are not sterilized by heat???

By: zoom!

zoom! — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:24:47 +0000

Manon, you pay $150 to park on your own property? Really? How do they justify that?

Robin, I was wondering if you’d recognize your green bin! Yours was the very first one I’d ever seen, so I peeked inside and took pictures when I was walking past your house last week. (Peeked inside your BIN and took pictures…not inside your house!)

Thanks for dropping by Tee Bone, and for leaving a comment.

Sassy, no, your backyard composter doesn’t exempt you from the Green Bin Program. I think a lot of long-time composters are annoyed by the fact that they’re now being handed a container, told it’s compulsory, and slapped with a fee.

Thanks Meagan.

Refashionista, you make a good point. User fees, by definition, should vary with usage. That’s one of the flaws with this flat-rate scheme. It’s combining the worst of both worlds.

XUP, I see your point. But we elected these people and gave them permission to make these decisions on our behalf. I hope we collectively have the good sense to fire them next year.

Cara, I agree. This council is notorious for lurching from one crisis to the next, and refusing to deal with things before they become problematic.

Colette, I agree with you too, especially your last sentence, about council being unable to make decisions and take responsibility for them.

Nat, nope, you can’t opt out. Well you can, but you still have to pay. As for the liners, I think they’re optional. They’ll just keep your bin cleaner.

Rand, that’s funny. It’s like zero tolerance. Nobody’s allowed to think.

Mudmama, it sounds like NS is way ahead of Ottawa on waste management. I wonder why that is? Got any theories?

Gillian, no kidding. They’re sabotaging their own program by creating all this animosity towards it.

By: Gillian

Gillian — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:20:29 +0000

I agree that they should figure out funding, concretely, much earlier.

By: mudmama

mudmama — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:05:43 +0000

If a have not province like Nova Scotia can make it mandatory that you compost *all* organic waste and provide the service (green bins) to do that *everywhere* without user fees Ottawa certainly can.

Great post!

By: Rand Paladeau

Rand Paladeau — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:00:08 +0000

I tried to use the green bin today when I ran out of containers to put my yard waste today, thought it would be a good idea as they are not going to be used till January so I could save the paper bag, they took the 4 containers of leaves, closed the lid on the green bin took the time to put a sticker on it to say I was not allowed to use it till January vs just emptying the leaves.
Its seems fitting that it went like that as its mirrors the way that rest of program was rolled out