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Fix garbage glitches by Sunday: city

Emterra blasted over program rollout as some residents go 19 days without pickup

By: Jen Skerritt

Posted: 10/12/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

A Baisinger Drive resident puts out more trash Thursday. Some residents in south Winnipeg have gone 19 days without a pickup. (JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

Winnipeg has a tough message for its new waste collector: It's time to clean up your act.

Following a slew of missed pickups and delays in collection, the city told Emterra it needs to fix the problems and catch up by Sunday.

If not, city solid waste manager Darryl Drohomerski said, Winnipeg will hire more collection crews and charge Emterra.

As of Thursday, collection crews were between a half to a full day behind in parts of the city, and in some areas residents complained they haven't had garbage collection in two weeks.

On Oct. 1, 165,000 single-family homes switched to automated garbage and recycling carts from manual collection.

Drohomerski said city officials anticipated there would be challenges, and there have been a few "bumps in the road" with Emterra, the new private contractor.

He said high winds and snow caused problems during the first week and crews are working early in the morning, late at night and on the weekend to catch up.

Drohomerski said he expects the situation will be resolved by Sunday at 6 p.m.

If crews are still not on schedule, he said the city may hire other contractors and charge Emterra.

"It hasn't gone way worse, and we have seen some improvements this week," Drohomerski said. "I think what we've seen is not enough improvement, from our own perspective, without better planning from the collector's side."

The push to fix the problems with the new collection system comes amid increasing reports of service disruptions. Earlier this week, Mayor Sam Katz said the new waste collector should suffer financial penalties if service problems persist beyond the period stipulated in their contract.

The city's contract with Emterra allows for a one-month grace period. The company started automated garbage and recycling collection for 24,000 households in the former AutoBin areas on Aug. 1. Drohomerski said August was a grace period, but the city has charged Emterra penalties for its performance in those neighbourhoods since Sept. 1.

He declined to say how much Winnipeg has fined the company.

Since the city-wide changeover on Oct. 1, the city's 311 hotline has received about 5,000 calls about the new garbage and recycling system.

Emterra is taking the city's concerns very seriously and is working to rectify the service problems as soon as possible, said business development manager Paulina Leung.

"All contracts have penalties and we take penalties very seriously," she said, adding the company is using all of its resources to manage the transition period.

She said she is confident residents will be happy with Emterra's service once the firm gets up to speed.

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) said some residents in his south Winnipeg ward have not had garbage or recycling pickup for 19 days. Many people waited a week to complain and Mayes said he is frustrated by the city's positive response. He said citizens want an apology and to hear the city admit things aren't going well.

"People will be upset if they don't get their garbage picked up, but they'll be really upset if they see the city claiming everything is going well," Mayes said.

Mary Ellen Lavoie said her recycling cart has sat out on the street since last Friday, after crews emptied carts on the opposite side of the street and then left.

Lavoie said she thinks the new collection system will be great once the glitches are fixed, and hopes her recycling is picked up today.

The Baisinger Drive resident said she's storing other recyclables in bins and garbage bags until there's room.

"My recycling is so full I don't know what to do with the other recycling, it won't fit in there," Lavoie said. "It's sort of crazy."

-- with files from Bartley Kives

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 12, 2012 A6

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