New Waterloo Region garbage contracts go to Miller Waste Systems and Halton Recycling

The Region of Waterloo has awarded seven-year contracts to Miller Waste Systems and Halton Recycling for curbside waste collection in the cities and townships, respectively, starting in March of 2017.

This is the first time in nearly15 years that Waterloo Region's nearly 130,000 homes will not have their garbage, organics and recycling collected by Waste Management of Canada.

"The new contract award was based purely on the cost of the contract. It has nothing to do with the performance that we've been experiencing," Cari RastasHoward, who speaks for Waterloo Region's waste management department said Thursday. "We've been very pleased with the performance of Waste Management."

According to the Region, out of a total of 11,000 calls about curbside waste pickup last year, Waste Management had a total of 1,418 "performance issues," where the company made a mistake.

However, RastasHoward saidthe company also received a number of kudos, although compliments were significantly lower than the amount of complaints.

"We always like when we can pass something on to our collection crews because they are out there week-in, week-out, everydayin all kinds of weather," she said. "People don't necessarily think about the job that they do 51 times a year that they do everything right and we often hear from people the one week that something went wrong."

RastasHoward said she anticipates complaints from the public will spike beginning March 6, 2017, which is the daythe Region's new curbside collection rules come into effect and the first day on the job for the two new contractors.

"We'll have two challenges starting in March of 2017. We will be dealing with two new contractors," she said. "They'll be getting to know the region, getting to knowthe neighbourhoods"

"At the same time we will also be introducing changes for our residents. So at the same time that the people who are doing the pickup are changing, our residents themselves will be changing [their habits]."

Council voted to adopt anew curbside collection regime in May of 2015, which will seegarbage collected every two weekswith a four-bag limit per household starting in 2017, which officials think could save upto $2.5 million a year, once it is up and running.

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Markham-based Miller Waste Systems will be paid $14,376,668.16 to collectgarbage, organics, bulky and large metal items, recycling, yard waste and Christmas trees in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge over a seven-year period, starting March 6, 2017.

The statement also said HaltonRecycling Limited, which is owned by Burlington-based Emterra Group,will be paid$4,168,308.04for the same job and over the same period in NorthDumfries, Wellesley,WilmotandWoolwich townships.