Item - 2024.IE12.1

City Council on April 17 and 18, 2024, adopted the following:

1. City Council direct City staff to pursue competitive procurement of daytime curbside collection services in District 2 to ensure collection services continue following the expiration of the current agreement on August 2, 2026.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to negotiate and enter into any service agreements or amending agreements with any Blue Box Program administrator, and/or their designate, for the City of Toronto to be contracted to provide services, based on terms and conditions outlined in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (March 13, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, for the management of blue box materials at the City's transfer stations until December 31, 2035, on terms acceptable to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

3. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services or their designate to negotiate any new agreements necessary with the successful proponent for the Issuing Authority's Collection of Blue Box Material from Residences and Facilities in City of Toronto Districts Request for Proposals (RFP 2023-07) indicated in Confidential Attachment 1 to the supplementary report (April 17, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to provide 311 customer service activities based on the term and pricing set forth in the Confidential Attachment 1 to the supplementary report (April 17, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, and on terms acceptable to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor and report back to City Council prior to entering into any agreements.

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to offer for sale, to the successful proponent for the Issuing Authority's Collection of Blue Box Material from Residences and Facilities in City of Toronto Districts Request for Proposals (Request for Proposal 2023-07), the City’s Blue Bin assets in accordance with the terms indicated in the Confidential Attachment 1 to motion 1b by Mayor Olivia Chow.

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to implement curbside collection routing changes as a result of no longer collecting eligible Blue Box materials to re-optimize collection services and to investigate potential efficiencies and synergies within collections and litter operations and return to Council for direction as required.    

6. City Council request the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to develop and report back to Committee a communication plan to inform the public about the changes in service in advance of the transition.

7. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services or their designate to negotiate and enter into any new agreements or amending agreements necessary for the City's continued litter vacuum operations until December 31, 2026, based in part on the recommendations on pricing set out in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (March 13, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, and on terms satisfactory to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

8. City Council communicate to the Premier of Ontario and Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks the following City of Toronto positions with respect to extended producer responsibility under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, and related regulations:

a. any changes to the legislation and regulations that underpin the delivery, through extended producer responsibility, of the Blue Box program in Ontario should support the Province’s stated commitments to improve recycling rates and reduce the movement of recyclable materials into landfills or the environment as litter;

b. municipal governments have a strong interest in supporting actions that align with the Province’s commitments as it is the municipal taxpayer who is responsible for the costs associated with any delay in improving Blue Box recycling in Ontario, be it through the management of landfills, composting facilities or public space litter; and

c. any changes to the legislation and regulations that are under consideration by the Province should be subject to a public and transparent consultation process and be posted on the Environmental Registry so that all interested parties have the opportunity to participate and provide feedback.

9. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to negotiate and enter into any new agreements, amendments of existing agreements, or acknowledgements, including on the basis of a non-competitive procurement under Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing, necessary in connection with the efforts to continue provision of Blue Bin material recycling services for non-producer serviced locations (such as City-serviced commercial locations, City facilities, charities, institutions and religious organizations), including advocacy, financial analysis, or waste composition audits on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and each in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

10. City Council direct the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, no later than the third quarter of 2025, on the results of the review and analysis of the potential service delivery options for the City’s integrated litter program operations including:

a. any timelines and recommendations to undertake a managed competition process or directly bring operations in-house for contracted litter vacuum operations; and

b. any timelines and recommendations for changes to the City’s on-street litter bin operations which are currently part of the City’s coordinated Street Furniture Program.
 

11. City Council formally express its commitment to ensuring that any staff currently employed by the City and that may have their positions impacted by the Blue Box transition to extended producer responsibility, will be supported throughout the transition so that they can continue to work for the City of Toronto.
 

12. City Council direct the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, no later than the first quarter of 2025, with a comparison of service standards and metrics between districts for daytime, curbside waste collection.

13. City Council direct the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, in collaboration with the required City Divisions, to include in the first quarter 2025 report to City Council, requested in Part 12 above, consideration of the financial, regulatory, resourcing, operational needs and any other requirements in order for the City of Toronto to be in a position to pursue managed competition or bringing collection services in-house in District 2 following the end of the next contracted-service agreement.

14. City Council direct that Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (March 13, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, remain confidential in its entirety in accordance with the provisions of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, as it involves a position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiation carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the City.

15. City Council direct that Confidential Attachment 1 to the supplementary report (April 17, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services remain confidential in accordance with the provisions of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, as it involves a position, plan, procedure, criteria, or instruction to be applied to any negotiation carried on or to be carried on by the City, and City Council direct that Confidential Attachment 1 to the supplementary report (April 17, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services be made public at the discretion of the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services.

16. City Council authorize the public release of the confidential instructions to staff attached to motion 1b by Mayor Olivia Chow at the discretion of the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services.

Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (March 13, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services remains confidential in its entirety in accordance with the provisions of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, as it involves a position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiation carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the City.

Confidential Attachment 1 to the supplementary report (April 17, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and the confidential instructions to staff in Confidential Attachment 1 to  Motion 1b by Mayor Olivia Chow remain confidential at this time in accordance with the provisions of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, as they involve a position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiation carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the City.

Confidential Attachment 1 to the supplementary report (April 17, 2024) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and the confidential instructions to staff in Confidential Attachment 1 to motion 1b by Mayor Olivia Chow will be made public at the discretion of the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services.