It's almost done, for now!

Well we have a compromise on waste management that appears to have legs. Tomorrow evening city council is expected to handily accept a seven year contract that maintains weekly garbage pickup plus 26 days throughout the year beginning in April of 2013 where an extra tagged bag or container of garbage can be put out for pickup.
This compromise hatched by councillors Russ Powers and Chad Collins wooed enough rural councillors to easily pass today at the General Issues Committee with only three dissenters, Councillors Johnson, Ferguson and McHattie. The majority patted themselves on the back for avoiding a divisive council debate and possible rupture along urban and rural lines. The majority also patted themselves on the back for being seen to be attacking the widespread disease of illegal dumping of garbage that they believe has plagued the city since the one bag a week policy was adopted. We'll see. Indeed a friendly amendment to the main motion was passed unanimously asking staff to report back one year after implementation to see whether the tag system has worked, and whether illegal dumping was impacted. Frankly several councillors touched upon my greatest concern and that is, responsible citizens will always do what they're told in the waste management department from separating recyclables to filling their green bins with organic waste. Unfortunately there is a segment of society who don't care one bit about their fellow citizens. These are the folks who dump waste wherever, who dump their used furniture at charity bins, who paint walls and call it art, who spit on our sidewalks, who empty their ash trays in parking lots, who don't shovel snow off their side walks, who in general are anti social, anti citizen and anti order. They will never change whether there is an amnesty, tag days or a member of public works in their front living room trying to educate them about waste and land fills. They just don't care about the rest of us. So we'll see if illegal dumping is impacted and we'll see just how many extra tags the citizens of Hamilton use up which will have an impact on our landfill and our waste diversion. And of course we will witness whether or not our councillors can stick to their plan or tinker some more down the road for they have allowed themselves the room to do so. People we are told want garbage peace. We shall now see, if that will be so. Call me a cynic but in two years time I expect new instructions in the mail from the city on how to handle waste. I hope they're positive ones for I have to tell you what was passed today and will be passed tomorrow evening, is not progress.