Hamilton gives out free tags for extra trash, but the cost of those tags adds up.
The city’s waste management sub-committee reviewed 2023 data for the current trash tag program, to see what can potentially be changed.
The city compared its trash tag numbers with municipalities across the province, including Guelph, Thunder Bay, the Region of Waterloo and Muskoka District.
One of the main findings was that the City of Hamilton was the only municipality in the 13 scanned for the study that offers free trash tags — and those free tags cost the city money.
The average cost in other cities per tag is $2.33.
Every year, each household in the city of Hamilton receives 12 garbage tags, which must be attached to each extra bag of trash they put out. In the current system, every household in Hamilton is permitted to put out one garbage can per week, or one bag of trash. If residents use up all 12 tags, they can call the city’s waste services department and request an additional 14 tags, which are sent out by mail for free. Residents can also pick up additional trash tags at Municipal Service Centres across the city.
Last year, the city received 19,399 requests for additional garbage tags, for a total of 271,586 tags requested.
“Keep in mind that each one of those tags is one garbage container or garbage bag being set out at the curb,” said Ryan Kent, manager of waste policy and planning.
Altogether, additional trash tags cost the city $48,104.58 in 2023.
Requests for extra tags on the rise
The city’s study found that the number of requests for additional tags has increased exponentially over the past six years.
In 2018, the city received 5,294 requests for additional tags, costing the city around $35,444.39. Those numbers have quadrupled since then, with the city receiving almost 20,000 requests.
Kent said the costs the city calculated were for the tags themselves, not including any additional costs for transporting and processing almost 20,000 bags of trash. The costs calculated were for materials for printing the tags, staff time and mailing costs.
The city took 224 samples of garbage that was thrown out using additional tags, and found that 38 per cent of the material found in the additional bags could have been recycled or disposed of using a green bin.
“We will use this information to inform a review of the solid waste management master plan,” Kent said.
