Engagement summary
Why we engaged
The City of Kingston will be transitioning to an automated waste collection system beginning in 2025, approved by Council on Sept. 5, 2023. This transition requires public engagement to understand the wants and needs of the community to develop recommendations on topics such as collection frequency, preferred cart sizes and other programs of interest.
How we engaged
Engagement for the cart-based waste collection program took place in three stages:
A question-and-answer forum on Get Involved Kingston was open for submissions in October 2023
In-person drop-in sessions, where residents could ask questions and see and handle sample carts, were held in November and December 2023. There were five sessions hosted at community centres across Kingston
A preferences survey was open from Jan. 18 to Feb. 9, 2024. This survey was developed using feedback receiving during the first two engagement stages
These engagements were promoted through social media, news releases and through the Get Involved Kingston newsletter. Staff also informed residents who attended in-person sessions that a survey would be available in early 2024 for their participation and feedback.
Who we heard from
Get Involved Kingston Q&A statistics:
91 questions asked and answered
7 new registered users
Get Involved Kingston survey statistics:
1,849 completed surveys
275 new registered users
Next steps
The results from public engagement will be shared with the Environment, Infrastructure and Transportation Policies Committee and related departments. It will be presented to Kingston City Council for consideration and approval.
What we heard
The following are the results of multiple-choice questions posed as part of the engagement survey. Verbatim responses to open-ended questions follow. Feedback that was out of scope or did not follow the City of Kingston’s Guidelines for Participation were omitted.
Q1: When the City transitions to cart-based waste collection, there is the possibility of weekly or bi-weekly garbage collection. Bi-weekly collection of garbage could allow the City to offer year-round leaf and yard waste collection, which would increase the cost and number of carts required per household. Which collection type would you prefer?
Of the respondents, 1,382 (74.7 per cent) preferred weekly garbage collection, weekly organic collection, and only fall leaf and yard waste pick-up (status quo).
Q2: The City currently allows one 135L garbage can/bag per week per household, free of charge. Based on this information and the collection frequency you selected above, what size garbage cart would you need or want as part of this program? (Note: The survey employed Skip Logic, which meant respondents who chose “Weekly collection” in the first question were only shown sizes available for weekly collection.)
Of the respondents who preferred weekly collection, 947 (68.5 per cent) preferred a cart size of 120 litres. 405 (or 29.3 per cent) preferred a cart size of 240 litres.
Q3: The City currently allows one 135L garbage can/bag per week per household, free of charge. Based on this information and the collection frequency you selected above, what size garbage cart would you need or want as part of this program? (Note: The survey employed Skip Logic, which meant respondents who chose “Bi-weekly collection” in the first question were only shown sizes available for bi-weekly collection.)
Of the respondents who preferred bi-weekly collection in the first question, 356 (or 83.0 per cent) preferred a cart size of 240 litres. Only 49 (or 11.4 per cent) preferred a cart size of 360 litres.
Q4: Would you be willing to pay between $100 and $200 per year to increase the above cart capacities by 120L? This would replace the current bag tag program.
Of the respondents, 1,519 would not be willing to pay an additional fee to increase their standard cart size in place of the City’s current garbage bag tag system. Only 205 (11.1 per cent) of respondents would be willing to pay an additional fee.
Q5: If you infrequently use the current bag tag system, would you prefer to see an alternative flat rate disposal option added (e.g. up to 5 bags for $30) that is pre-booked (four to five days in advance of collection day).
Of the respondents, 1,050 (56.8 per cent) would not prefer to use a flat-rate disposal option in place of the current bag tag system. The remaining respondents would use the program or were unsure at this time.
Q6: If the City offered large-item garbage collection at a cost of approximately $30 per item and $10 for each additional item on pick-up day, would you use this program?
Of the respondents, 896 (50.9 per cent) would use a large-item collection program at an additional cost if the City offered it. The remaining respondents would not use the program or were unsure at this time.
