12°c Overcast
17°c Cloudy with showers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Garbage service starts to pick up
Emterra complaints down in new year
Despite months of complaints about late or even no garbage and recycling pickups, Winnipeg's new private collection service is stacking up well this winter, an independent poll concludes.
"The findings show that of Winnipeggers with (household) garbage and recycling bins, garbage and recycling pickup was, in fact, completed on the correct day, nine out of 10 (times)," Prairie Research Associates said Thursday in a statement about the poll findings.
Only four per cent of Winnipeg households in the survey had a complaint. Most often, their garbage and recycling wasn't picked up on the right day. On average, the waiting time was two days.
The poll sampled 480 households by phone between Jan. 14 and Jan. 25. Some 396 reported pickups as scheduled.
A week before the poll was conducted, reports showed Winnipeg's waste collector was fined as much as $450,000 after thousands of complaints about missed collections were filed following the company's grace period.
Emterra has been plagued by complaints about poor service since it began collecting garbage and recycling in the former AutoBin areas last August before expanding to 165,000 households citywide since October.
City of Winnipeg 311 service data obtained by the Free Press revealed 10,402 complaints about missed garbage, recycling and yard-waste pickups were reported in November and December. The highest number of complaints -- 14,200 -- were filed in October.
Given that backdrop, the poll results should have been a surprise, but they weren't.
The pollster found services were making the grade by January.
"This is what happens when you have a new service... There are problems while the new service shakes down, and then the service seems to stabilize. At this point, even in the winter, the service now seems to have settled down," PRA partner Greg Mason said.
The phone survey is considered accurate within 4.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The pollster decided to look at garbage and recycling after learning nobody else was.
"I'm surprised there wasn't regular tracking of this (by the city), and when we realized there was no independent tracking, we decided to do it on our own," Mason said.
The firm plans to conduct regular scoring of Winnipeg garbage and recycling services.
The survey was conducted by the pollster without public or private funds.
alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 8, 2013 A7
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Selinger talks tax at NDP convention in Brandon
05/24/2013 7:45 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Woman drove into river on purpose
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- 'I told them, "I think that guy downstairs is dead"': teen witness at murder trial
- Systemic approach to voter interference 'extremely worrisome': Trudeau
- Katz knew golf plan doomed 'months ago'
- City's first urban reserve born
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Winnipeg woman camps out in front of legislature to protest child welfare
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Catching up with Arrested Development's Bluth family
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Lake St. Martin reserve close to getting new home
- Toews 'disappointed' U.S., Canada at loggerheads over meat labeling regulations
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- Actress Amanda Bynes arrested in NYC on a marijuana charge after she threw a bong out a window
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Order of Manitoba recipients announced
- New owner for lumber stores
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.