Garbage pickup delayed again
Vehicle breakdowns and staffing shortages mean garbage collection in Niagara will have to wait until at least Saturday.
In a Tuesday press release, Niagara Region is asking residents to bring garbage and recycling currently on the curb indoors and put it back out for pick up by 7 a.m. Saturday.
The Region announced a delay in garbage and recycling collection on Dec. 31 after Emterra Environmental, the company hired to collect garbage and recycling, failed to complete its pickups last Friday.
Recycling in Niagara Falls had not been collected and garbage in St. Catharines, Thorold, Niagara Falls and Fort Erie was still curbside.
At that time, the Region said Emterra was expecting to complete recycling collection by Monday and garbage would be picked up on Saturday.
However, on Tuesday, the Region said Emterra did not complete the recycling pickups, which are now scheduled for pickup on Saturday.
Catherine Habermebl, director of waste management services at the Region, said the recent cold weather and snow had slowed down trash collection, but vehicle problems and staffing are the core cause of the lengthy delay.
Habermebl said Emterra has reported several of its trucks have broken down. Several staff have also called in sick, Habermebl said, and the company is still trying to fill vacant positions.
Habermebl said under the terms of the Region’s contract with Emterra, there are financial consequences for the company for failing to live up to its obligations.
She said there were “legal issues” at play, so she would not detail what those consequences were other than to say they do not take the form of a penalty.
“We are enforcing the terms of the contract,” she said.
In its Tuesday news release, the Region is asking residents to bring their recycling and garbage indoors until Saturday’s pickup.
There is no limit on the amount of recycling Niagara Falls residents can put out. If a resident’s blue and grey boxes are full, they are being asked to put recycling in a clear plastic bag or a “rigid container” at the curb.
For those communities where garbage pick up has not happened, the bag limit has been increased to four bags or containers.
Habermebl said the Region is opening its landfills and recycling yards early Saturday to help facilitate collection efforts.
Emterra has been the Region’s collection contractor for the last seven years. Its current contract expires in March this year, but has a clause allowing for an extension to 2019. The Region recently signed a new contract with Emterra for two years, keeping the company onboard for collection services until 2021.