THUNDER BAY -- The City of Thunder Bay says it is making progress solving problems that developed while implementing recent changes in residential garbage collection.
One of the nine trucks dedicated to curbside pickup was taken out of service, and the city began using new "route optimization" software in conjunction with reducing the garbage container limit from three to two per household.
Some residents complained that their garbage wasn't picked up on the day it was supposed to be.
"Last week wasn't the level of service certainly that residents are accustomed to," said Jason Sherband, manager of the city's solid waste and recycling services.
Collection crews normally work Tuesday to Friday, so the second week of trash pickup under the new system is just underway.
In an interview with Tbnewswatch, Sherband said the delays experienced in the rollout of the changes resulted in crews working late through the week, including on Friday night and Saturday, to deal with the backlog.
He acknowledged that complaints about missed pickups meant that the telephone line (625-2195) at the city's dispatch centre "probably was overloaded, and people probably didn't get through or had to wait...There is certainly a learning curve and some growing pains for everyone," Sherband said.
He added that the city is asking residents to be patient as city staff continue to work to restore the service level to what was provided in the past.
According to Sherband, those efforts include "looking at everything" that needs to be done but does not include returning the dropped garbage truck to the fleet. "We can't go back. It's all about moving forward now and improving things."
Late last week, a Canadian Union of Public Employees representative said the union that represents trash collection workers was in discussions with the city over the trash collection issues.
Sherband on Tuesday declined to comment on that, other than to say "Those are internal things. We are always committed to work with staff, and I'll leave it at that."
