Federation of Canadian Municipalities - Quality of Life Reporting System
FCM QoLRS Municipal Survey - March 2003
Environment
TORONTO
Guidelines for Survey Respondents:
Your expert assistance is requested in order to complete the enclosed survey, prepared in support of the Quality of Life Reporting
System (QOLRS) managed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
FCM has been recognized since 1901 as the national voice of municipal governments and is an association dedicated to improving
the quality of life in Canadian communities. The FCM comprises more than 1,000 municipal governments that represent 80 percent
of Canada's population.
The QOLRS includes a range of indicators that cover demographic characteristics and change, municipal services, community
characteristics, programs and security, housing, economic conditions and trends, and progress toward goals. The QOLRS is produced
through consultations with a network of technical experts in twenty Canadian municipalities. This system marks the first time that
municipal governments have worked together to develop a national policy and planning system for quality of life issues. The QOLRS
also marks the first time that a nationally consistent collection of local data has occurred.
The QOLRS has been used to prepare Reports in 1999 and 2001, providing a snapshot of factors that allows tracking of change over
time, supports community decision making, enables analysis of public policy priorities, and promotes awareness of issues affecting
quality of life in Canadian communities. (see 2001 report at http://www.fcm.ca/newfcm/Java/frame.htm).
The results of the enclosed survey will be used to prepare the 2003 Quality of Life Report, which will be developed for each of the 19
municipalities participating in the QOLRS.
You have two options to submit the data:
a) Print, photocopy, and fill in by hand then fax the results to the number provided at the bottom of this page.
b) Save to your computer, fill out electronically and email to the address provided at the bottom of this page. The survey tool is
designed in tabular form in MSWord. Simply fill in the answers that apply, use your mouse cursor or the up/down arrow keys to
navigate in each cell and then type. You can shift across cells by using tab. You can add rows by placing your cursor in the last
cell of a table and pressing tab. Do not worry about formatting or if a table is separated onto two pages.
Please respond wherever possible to all of the questions; if an item is not applicable please indicate N/A. If additional sheets or
Please send results to Harvey Low, by phone 416-392-8660, by fax at 416-392-8492, or by email hlow@city.toronto.on.ca
Please respond by: May 16, 2003
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Federation of Canadian Municipalities - Quality of Life Reporting System
FCM QoLRS Municipal Survey - March 2003
Environment
portions are required for any sections please copy and paste as required. Any questions should be communicated to your
municipality’s representative to the QOLRS Technical Team identified at the bottom of this page.
Please send results to Harvey Low, by phone 416-392-8660, by fax at 416-392-8492, or by email hlow@city.toronto.on.ca
Please respond by: May 16, 2003
2
Federation of Canadian Municipalities - Quality of Life Reporting System
FCM QoLRS Municipal Survey - March 2003
Environment
Part B Municipally produced and diverted waste
1. Full Name of Respondent
Katie Tulk
2. Position, organization, address, Tel, Fax, Email
Senior Analyst, Solid Waste Management Services
100 Queen St. W. 25th flr, East Tower
Toronto, Ontario
M5H 2N2
Phone: (416) 392-9189
Fax: (416) 392-4754
Email: Ktulk@toronto.ca
3. Date (dd/mm/yyyy)
14/05/2003
Municipalities/cities collect residential and non-residential waste. In addition to these, waste is collected from other sources such as
individuals or community associations. The amount of waste collected is considered produced waste in a municipality while the
waste diverted from a municipality includes “any physical transformation of materials in preparation for recycling or reuse. Such
activities include sorting, cleaning, and volume reduction as well as composting)” (Statistics Canada, 2002). Cities/municipalities
either manages their own waste collection services or outsource this service. The following questions intend to assess how much
waste is produced within the boundaries of a municipality and how much of that collected waste is diverted for recycling. Many of the
following questions are derived from the Statistics Canada Waste Management Industry Survey: Business Sector survey 2002. Your
municipality may have filled out this survey and you may be able to rely on the data gathered for the following questions.
4. How much waste in metric tonnes from the following sources were collected in your municipality for the following
years?
1991
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
*771,074 *768,878 *757,619 *783,499 *661,279
671,062
639,443
i.Metric tonnes of residential waste collected
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
**116,864
**97,966
**76,992
ii.Metric tonnes of non-residential waste
collected
N/A
Not
Not
Not
Not
Not collected Not
Not collected
iii.Metric tonnes of construction & demolition
collected
collected
collected
collected
banned
collected
banned
waste collected
iv.Metric tonnes of other collection activities
(private individuals, community associations,
N/A
banned
material
Included
in
residential
banned
material
Included
in
residential
banned
material
Included
in
residential
banned
material
Included
in
residential
material
Included in
residential
and
banned
material
Included in
residential
and
Please send results to Harvey Low, by phone 416-392-8660, by fax at 416-392-8492, or by email hlow@city.toronto.on.ca
Please respond by: May 16, 2003
material
Included in
residential/com
mercial figures
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Federation of Canadian Municipalities - Quality of Life Reporting System
FCM QoLRS Municipal Survey - March 2003
Environment
etc.) waste collected
figure
figure
figure
figure
commercial
figures
commercial
figures
Comment: * Tonnage accounts for municipal
collection and would include residential,
commercial, schools and other groups who
are on municipal collection routes
**Commercial and School tonnage on
municipal collection routes
5. Does your municipality have a recycling program?
YES NO
If YES, describe the program (i.e. Blue box drop off program etc.):
Approximately 100% of all residential properties that the city provides waste management services receive garbage and Blue and
Grey Box (fibre and containers) and leaf and yard waste collection or 490,000 single-family units and 450,000 multi-family units
(5000 buildings). By June 2003 Source-Separated organics (SSO) will be collected from approximately 180,000 households (70,000
had access in September 2002 and 110,000 will have access in June 2003). This roll-out of SSO collection is planned to be phased
in across the City of Toronto by fall 2005 for those residences that receive curbside collection. Smaller SSO pilots are occurring at 4
multi-family buildings. White goods/scrap metal is also collected at the curb by appointment. The City also collects from
approximately 4,000 waste/recycling collection bins from city streets, has 7 recycling depots for recyclables, drywall, tires, scrap
metal, electronics and wood and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) depots (2 full-service depots), and provides toxics collection by
appointment for collection of HHW. Finally, during the Spring, Summer and Fall, the City runs Environment Days where items such
as clothing/textiles, eye-glasses small appliances, electronics, HHW and other non-Blue Box material is collected for reuse and
recycling can be dropped off by City residents.
In September 2002, the City implemented a cost recovery program called the Yellow Bag Program for garbage collection, transfer
and disposal for businesses that were eligible for City collection. In 2002, the City provided collection services to approximately
18,190 commercial businesses. Businesses use designated yellow bags which are purchased via Home Hardware Stores or are
charged a per lift fee for bulk bin collection. As part of the Yellow Bag Program, businesses receive recycling services for free (i.e.
Blue and Grey Box and SSO collection).
In January 2001, the City also implemented a fee structure for its Agencies, Boards, Commissions and Departments (ABCDs) and
School Boards for the collection, transfer and disposal of waste collected and/or disposed. ABCDs and School Boards are charged a
per bag for garbage and recycling services (blue and grey box) are collected and processed at no charge. ABCDs and School Boards
purchase bag tags from solid waste management facilities or are charged a per lift fee for bulk bin collection.
Please send results to Harvey Low, by phone 416-392-8660, by fax at 416-392-8492, or by email hlow@city.toronto.on.ca
Please respond by: May 16, 2003
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Federation of Canadian Municipalities - Quality of Life Reporting System
FCM QoLRS Municipal Survey - March 2003
Environment
6. If YES to 5. what type of waste is recycled (i.e. newspapers, glass, etc.)?
Blue Box: metal cans, rigid aluminum foil (pie plates etc), tetra paks/milk cartons, empty aerosol and paint cans, glass jars and
bottles, HDPE and PET bottles and jugs.
Grey Box: Boxboard boxes, cardboard, newspaper/telephone directories, paper egg cartons, rolls, paper bags,
magazines/catalogues/books, gift wrap and cards, household paper (junk mail, writing/computer paper etc).
SSO Green Bin: Fruits and vegetables, meats and fish, Pasta/Breads/Cereals, coffee grinds/tea bags/coffee filters, Dairy and egg
shells, diapers/sanitary products, soiled paper towels/paper products, soiled food packaging, candies/cookies/cakes confectionary,
household plants/soil, and animal waste and bedding
HHW: hazardous waste generated from the home e.g. paints, propane cylinders, batteries etc
Leaf and Yard Waste (leaf and yard collected only in kraft paper bags): brush, leaves, Christmas Trees (no grass)
Composting: Residents can voluntarily participate in back-yard composting but must purchase composter from the City. Food,
Vegetable, Leaf and Yard waste including grass are the wastes that can be recycled
7. If YES to 6. does your municipality collect recyclable waste from:
i. Residential
YES
NO
ii. Non-residential
YES
NO
iii. Other sources
YES
NO
8. Does your municipality divert any industrial, construction and or demolition waste?
YES NO
If YES, explain:
The City operates recycling depots where segregated loads of wood, drywall, and scrap metal can be dropped for a fee for recycling.
9. Does your municipality have a composting program?
YES NO
If YES, describe the program:
Backyard composting units are available for sale at depots and Environment Days, Community Composters (aerobic 3-bin)
containers are available for sale.
10. Does your municipality have a wood-chipping program?
YES NO
If YES, describe the program: small loads of wood brought to City’s Avondale Composting Site would be chipped and used as a
bulking agent. Avondale Composting Facility is now closed, only leaf and yard waste under certain diameter and length will be
accepted in leaf and yard waste collection program and at depots.
11. Does your municipality have a toxic waste diversion program?
YES
NO
Please send results to Harvey Low, by phone 416-392-8660, by fax at 416-392-8492, or by email hlow@city.toronto.on.ca
Please respond by: May 16, 2003
5
Federation of Canadian Municipalities - Quality of Life Reporting System
FCM QoLRS Municipal Survey - March 2003
Environment
If YES, describe the program: City operates 7 HHW depots at transfer stations and also offers pick up of HHW from residents home
by appointment, offers HHW collection service at Environment Days (over 40 1-day events per year).
12. If your municipality has a recycling program please indicate the metric tonnes of material diverted for recycling for
the following years and sources:
1991
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
*236, 211
* 245,905
i.Metric tonnes of residential recyclable waste N/A
*224,146
*256,617
215,717
243,802
diverted
ii.Metric tonnes of non-residential recyclable
N/A
Included in
Included in Included in Included in **18,299
**20,705
waste diverted
residential
residential residential residential
tonnage
tonnage
tonnage
tonnage
iii.Metric tonnes of construction & demolition
N/A
Not
Not
Not
Not
Not
Not
waste diverted
collected at collected
collected
collected
collected
collected
curbsideat
at
at
at
at
dropped off curbsidecurbsidecurbsidecurbsidecurbsideat recycling dropped
dropped
dropped
dropped
dropped
depot i.e.
off at
off at
off at
off at
off at
wood, scrap recycling
recycling
recycling
recycling
recycling
metal,
depot i.e.
depot i.e.
depot i.e.
depot i.e.
depot i.e.
drywall or
wood,
wood,
wood,
wood,
wood,
clean fill at
scrap
scrap
scrap
scrap
scrap
landfill
metal,
metal,
metal,
metal,
metal,
drywall or
drywall or
drywall or
drywall or
drywall or
clean fill at clean fill at clean fill at clean fill at clean fill at
landfill
landfill
landfill
landfill
landfill
iv.Metric tonnes of other collection activities
Included in
Included in Included in Included in Included in Included in
(private individuals, community associations,
residential
residential residential residential residential residential
etc.) waste diverted?
tonnage
tonnage
tonnage
tonnage
and nonand nonresidential residential
figure
figure
Please send results to Harvey Low, by phone 416-392-8660, by fax at 416-392-8492, or by email hlow@city.toronto.on.ca
Please respond by: May 16, 2003
2002
247,359
**23,620
Not
collected
at
curbsidedropped
off at
recycling
depot i.e.
wood,
scrap
metal,
drywall or
clean fill at
landfill
Included in
residential
and nonresidential
figure
6
Federation of Canadian Municipalities - Quality of Life Reporting System
FCM QoLRS Municipal Survey - March 2003
Environment
Comments: *Diverted tonnage accounts for
municipal collection and would include
residential, commercial, schools and other
groups who are on municipal collection routes
and includes Blue/Grey Box, Leaf and Yard
Waste, Environment Days/Depots, Large
appliances/Scrap Metal, Grass Cycling
Estimate, HHW, Stewardship and DepositReturn and Green Bin (SSO only in 2002)
**Commercial and School diverted tonnage
on municipal collection routes
13. Has your municipality consistently diverted the same types of materials overtime? YES NO
14. If YES to 13. please provide the year and the type of change that occurred.
Type of Change (I.e. began recycling copper in 1996etc.)
Year
1999
Electronics recycling depot at 5 transfer stations- computer equipment and other electronics
2001
Addition of empty paint cans, aerosol cans, tetra pak/milk cartons to Blue Box
2001
Pilot for collection of clean lumber at recycling depot
2002/2003
Pilot at four multi-family homes for collection of SSO via deep collection systems and automated chute systems
2002
Collection of SSO stream from those residences that receive curbside collection (Etobicoke Community) that will be
phased-in across the City by 2005
2002/2003
Pilots for collection of scrap metal not collected at curbside or transfer station i.e. miscellaneous metal – coat hangers,
nails, small appliances etc.
Please send results to Harvey Low, by phone 416-392-8660, by fax at 416-392-8492, or by email hlow@city.toronto.on.ca
Please respond by: May 16, 2003
7