exa2007 toronto vaccum waste system _ca
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/3/2019 EXA2007 Toronto Vaccum Waste System _CA
1/2
Toronto Life: Preville on Politics: Suck my waste, Toronto http://www.torontolife.com/blog/preville-politics/2007/dec/18/su...
1 sur 2 5/05/08 23:11
HOME RESTAURANTS WINE & FOOD REAL ESTATE MOVIES & NIGHTLIFE SHOPPING CULTURE & RECREATION FEATURES CITYGUIDES
Search:
My Toronto Life:
Log-in | Register
May 5, 2008
Posted on December 18, 2007 byPhilip Preville
Trash collection is one of those basic city services that seems impervious to new technology: you put your trash
out at the curb and a truck hauls it away. But what if, like water, sewage and gas, you could collect it all
underground? Vacuum-waste collectionwhich gets abrief mention in the toilet-bowl cover story of Toronto
Lifes January issueis being touted as the future of waste management, and it is part ofWaterfronTorontos
vision for its new residential communities in the West Don Lands and East Bayfront areas. Unfortunately, that
vision clashes with city halls own idea of a bold, trashy future.
The biggest name in vacuum waste collection is EnVac, a Scandinavian firm that does business around the
world. The system involves adding three pipelines to the underground networkone for waste, one for organics
and one for recycled materials, all of which shuttle waste to a nearby transfer station. The collection system can
be connected directly to multi-residential units, while for single-family areas you might locate the intakes at the
end of the street.
Its benefits are obvious: no trash on the curb, no fossil-fuel-burning trucks, no raccoon problems, no injuries to
city waste collectors. Its not particularly feasible for areas of the city that are already built-up, but its ideal fornew large-scale developments, which is one of the reasons why WaterfronTorontowhich will be building vast
residential communities from scratchis pretty much sold on the idea. We would like to see vacuum waste on
the waterfront as part of the green development agenda, says Marisa Piattelli, the organizations spokesperson.
It is a component of leading-edge sustainable development. Piattelli also says vacuum waste will be a
differentiator for the city: a model of urban living that will set Toronto above the rest, and compel other cities to
come here to see how its done.
The city, however, has its reservations. Geoff Rathbone, Torontos Director of Solid Waste Management, is open
to the idea but sees a number of potential logistical problems. For one, theres the matter of oversize itemsthat
smelly old mattress wont fit into a vacuum tube. For another, theres cost. The current system of truck haulage
costs about $20 per unit per year for residential high-rises, and $80 per year for detached or semi-detached
homes. Its not entirely clear yet whether vacuum waste is cost-competitive. Rathbones staff is currently working
with city planning and WaterfronToronto on a report that will be made public in late January.
But the bigger issue is a philosophical one. Earlier this year, city council approved a plan to take trash collection
off the property-tax rolls and bill separately for the service. Its all part of the strategy to increase diversion rates:
by charging residents for trash but not for organics or recycling, it will encourage people to recycle more. This
user-pay arrangement also involves distributing new bins embedded with computer chips, so that the city can
keep track of how much waste each home generates. Its an ambitious plan, one that the city is heavily invested
init goes into effect in the latter half of 2008.
Rathbone notes that vacuum waste can accommodate the user-pay principle: the system can be equipped with
magnetic-strip readers, so that residents must swipe their trash card every time they drop their waste down the
intake. Admittedly, between the lack of curbside pickup and the swipe cards, vacuum waste starts to look like a
hassle. But what it really does is compel people to become more intimate with their own waste, which is the best
way to get them to reduce and divert.
Anyone who believes that Toronto should be the greenest city in North America, but who thinks it can achieve
that title without radical changes in civic routines, is dreaming.
Categories: General, City Hall
Permalink
Neither the author nor Toronto Life necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Editors will not correctspelling or grammar. Toronto Life reserves the right to edit or delete comments entirely. Read our full policy
Sweden and their burning garbage too:
http://spacing.ca/wire/?p=1147
We've got a short article on Vacuum waste diversion in Malmo in the current issue of Spacing. A
couple years ago one of our editors went to Sweden and came back raving about this stuff,
complete with pamphlets.
Yes, but is a raving Spacing editor - even one with pamphlets - really a good public policy
endorsement?
Blogs
Preville on PoliticsSuck my waste, Toronto
COMMENTS
Shawn MicallefDecember 18, 2007 at 5:08 p.m.
BobDecember 18, 2007 at 9:49 p.m.
Privatizing the
TTChow could it be
any worse than what
weve got?
Toronto incomes are
on the decline (or, The
Friday Pessimist,
Thursday edition)
The upside of being a
have-not province
Get your TTC strike
rebate now!
General
Queen's Park
Ottawa
Toronto Lexicon
City Hall
May, 2008
April, 2008
March, 2008
February, 2008January, 2008
December, 2007
November, 2007
October, 2007
September, 2007
August, 2007
July, 2007
June, 2007
May, 2007
April, 2007
March, 2007
Dooney's Cafe
Toronto Public Library
TTC Rider
Spacing Wire
Veteran freelance writer Philip Preville lived much of his life in
Montreal and Edmonton before he was lured, like so many
Torontonians before him, by the promise of more work and a
better living. A National Magazine Award winner and former
Canadian Journalism Fellow at the University of Torontos
Massey College, Preville writes Toronto Lifes politics
column. He lives with his wife and one-year-old son in
Riverdale, just close enough to the Don Valley Parkway that he
can hear it when he steps outside his housebut just far enough
away that it doesnt keep him awake at night. On his office wall
hangs a 193839 press pass belonging to his grandfather, Elias
Gannon, who wrote for theMontreal Star.
Preville on Politics RSS Feed
Philip Preville
LATEST BLOG ENTRIES:
TOPICS:
POSTINGS BY DATE:
BLOGROLL:
-
8/3/2019 EXA2007 Toronto Vaccum Waste System _CA
2/2
Toronto Life: Preville on Politics: Suck my waste, Toronto http://www.torontolife.com/blog/preville-politics/2007/dec/18/su...
2 sur 2 5/05/08 23:11
New servers
I don't know Bob, I wasn't making a public policy endorsement.
Let's start with ensuring that the cost of taking the TTC stops going up, before we start talking
about vacuum waste collection.
Also, has anyone ever heard of 'dumping'? These computer chips embedded in bins are
ridiculous- I have noted that Torontonians are really dedicated to recycling, and do it very well as
a point of principle. What this will do is encourage less scrupulous citizens to dump waste on
other people's properties for pickup and have them absorb the cost.
I was wondering when someone would raise the issue of 'dumping.' Consider the scenario: the
city will be issuing three standard-sized bins for trash, with a different price for each. If I have a
small bin that's overflowing and my neighbour has spare space in her bin, I will be sorely
tempted to dump my overflow into her bin in the wee hours rather than upsize my own. I might
even offer to pay her for the use of her excess trash space, thus creating a black market (under the
new system, a half-full waste bin is like an extra parking space or a basement apartment -- you
can rent it out). I suspect this is why municipal waste collection has been treated for so long as a
universal social program: because any user-pay scheme will incite bad behaviour with
household waste, which is not good for the social fabric. And for what it's worth: if you have
swipe-card-activated vacuum waste collection, dumping is never a problem.
Your name:
Comment:
Preview comment
Shawn MicallefDecember 19, 2007 at 12:24 a.m.
Alisa RobertsDecember 19, 2007 at 2:15 p.m.
Philip PrevilleDecember 19, 2007 at 3:19 p.m.
Post a comment
Planet Friendly
Statistics Canada
City of Toronto
Rounder
CUSTOMER SERVICE QUICK LINKS SEARCH FOR NEWSLETTERS
Stay on top of the best the city
has to offer with Preview, our free
weekly email newsletter.
Preview
Toronto Life Cottager
Your e-mail address
Subscribe to Toronto Life magazine
Give a gift
Enquire about subscriptions
Renew subscription
Check account status
Change of address
Frequently asked questions
Cheap eats
Urban Decoder
Chatto's Digest
Find a restaurant
Find events
Where to get good stuff cheap
Movies and nightlife
Restaurant reviews
Recommended wines
Something to do tonight
Something to do this weekend
A cultural event
Marketplace classifieds
Feature articles
subscribe newsletters privacy pol icy about us contact us masthead advertise sister sitessister sites
2008. All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part strictly prohibited.
Toronto Life is a registered trademark of Toronto Life Publishing Company Limited
Browser Support