Waste collection for businesses

The decision on the establishment of service levels for the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (IC&I) sector was based on a need to provide equitable service throughout the city and was reviewed in accordance with the Service Rationalization Review while we were doing our Solid Waste Management Master Plan.

During this process, the City engaged with the community through several activities including virtual open houses, public online surveys, conversations with community members and organizations, workshops, and through Guelph Economic Development and Tourism outreach via special bulletins and a sector newsletter.

A full review for the recommendation included a review of fairness and equity of service, the exclusion of municipal responsibility and mandates for services to businesses under provincial waste legislation and alignment of our service levels to meet the new Blue Box regulation, which makes Producers of blue box material responsible for blue box collection services.  The City will not be collecting blue box materials starting January 1, 2025 and businesses will not be eligible for service under the new Producer program.

There are approximately 200 impacted businesses, representing approximately five per cent of total businesses in Guelph. There are over 4,000 classified businesses with employees in Guelph, and to ensure fairness and equity, the City is adjusting service levels to the five per cent of properties to bring service in alignment with the other 95 per cent of businesses to ensure consistency for the ICI sector.

The City engaged with the community as follows:

• A public launch event with Dr. Dianne Saxe was held on December 9, 2019 and was advertised in the Guelph Mercury Tribune on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, 2019. The advertisement was also posted on the Have Your Say engagement page and in the engagement newsletter, and on the City’s social media accounts.
• The virtual open house and survey was launched on Have Your Say on August 17, 2020 with ESRI StoryMaps, an interactive multimedia webpage that uses text, images, and media to display information and data. A notification for this virtual open house and survey was published in the Guelph Mercury Tribune on Aug. 20, Sept. 3, Sept. 17 and Sept. 24, 2020. The advertisement was also posted on the Have Your Say engagement page and in the engagement newsletter, and on the City’s social media accounts.
• The first of two public online surveys ran from August 17 to September 30, 2020 on the Have Your Say engagement page as part of the City’s Solid Waste Management Master Plan (SWMMP).
• Conversations with community members and organizations were organized in fall 2020, and spring 2021 for a total of 25 conversations with community members who expressed interest in the project.
• The second virtual open house and survey was launched on Have Your Say on June 2, 2021, which updated the previous ESRI StoryMaps page. A notification for this virtual open house and survey was published in the Guelph Mercury Tribune on May 20 and June 3, 2021. The advertisement was also posted on the Have Your Say engagement page and in the engagement newsletter, and on the City’s social media accounts.
• The second of two public online surveys ran from June 2 – 30, 2021 on the Have Your Say engagement page as part of the City’s SWMMP. A postcard directing customers to the survey was handed out with receipts in June 2021 at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre’s public drop-off.
• Dillon Consulting hosted three workshops on behalf of the City to engage the community on three key issues being explored in the SWMMP. The workshop for IC&I customers was held on June 2, 2021. Staff also engaged with the Chamber of Commerce in June 2021.
• An email was sent to a business distribution list of over 3700 recipients to gather feedback on City waste collection service levels to commercial and institutional properties through the following:
  • Special bulletin – Guelph Business Updates and Engagement Opportunities, on Monday September 13
  • Monthly newsletter – Mind Your Business, on September 16
  • Special bulletin – Tell us what you think about the updated programs to manage waste for businesses, on September 23, 2021.
• A news release on March 24, 2022, informing of the recommendations in advance of the Council committee meeting on April 4, 2022.
• A news release on April 26, 2022, following the Council meeting on April 25, 2022 that approved the IC&I waste collection service level.
• In-person visits, phone calls and emails with IC&I customers have been ongoing from November 2022 to February 2023, to provide notice and to help businesses prepare and plan for alternative waste collection arrangements as necessary.

Yes, there are local private sector waste collection companies that provide cart (also called tote) waste collection services.

Yes, there are local private sector waste collection companies that provide recycling and organics collection services. There is also a pilot underway with the Circular Innovation Council and The SEED for businesses to participate in an organics collection program to increase the economy of scales for small businesses.

The property tax system is based on the principle that all property owners share the cost of providing municipal services and programs for the entire community, regardless of whether an individual taxpayer makes use of a certain City service. The property tax system is not a user-pay system; all property owners (i.e., residential, business, commercial, industrial) contribute to the municipal waste management system regardless of whether municipal waste collection service is received or provided.

With respect to fairness and equity of service, any service over and above the current level of service supported by the current level of taxation, is in fact a service level increase. All taxes collected are distributed to meet the current program requirements. To expand collection at IC&I establishments that are currently not serviced is a service level increase and is not included in the current taxes paid by IC&I property owners. There are many competing service offerings, community needs and goals, and staff work to fit all these competing objectives into a finite budget, while also managing inflation and tax increases.

Property taxes are assessed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) property assessment rather than by services provided or used.

No. The City does not provide waste collection to most businesses, and it has never been the intention of the City to compete with private waste haulers. Property taxes are assessed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) property assessment rather than by services provided or used.

The decision to establish eligibility criteria and service levels was not about savings. Council directed staff to do a Service Rationalization Review and it was determined that the City is not legislated to provide this service to ICI customers and further, that it was being done inequitably across the City.  The staff recommendation and Council direction righted that inequity.

The carts belong to the City of Guelph. The fee was a one-time fee which included the cost of delivery to the business. The fee is non- refundable.

The City does not provide a user fee for IC&I waste collection services that are beyond the established eligibility criteria. It has never been the City’s intention to compete with private waste haulers for waste collection at IC&I establishments.

The service level for waste collection in the downtown is also under review based on the recommendations from the 2021 Service Rationalization Report, as well as the 2021 Solid Waste Management Master Plan, being undertaken as part of the Downtown Infrastructure Revitalization project. Recommendations coming out of the review will be brought forward for Council consideration and approval.