Robo-garbage show and tell as St. John's prepares for new era in collection

Officials gave a show and tell Friday ahead of the launch later this month of the City of St. John's automated garbage collection program.

About 16,000 households received standardized plastic bins ahead of the program's start in May.

St. John's has followed the lead of neighbour city Mount Pearl, which implemented a similar program back in 2012.

In a side-by-side comparison, St. John's carts are 33 per cent smaller and are designed to hold up to four regular-sized garbage bags, while Mount Pearl's carts can hold six bags.

Up against Newfoundland's notorious weather, St John's bins weigh in at 16 kilograms and can withstand winds up to 65 km/h. 

On the other hand, Mount Pearls' bins are four kilograms heavier and can handle gusts up to 100 km/h.

It's just a phase

At a sneak-peek demonstration of the automated process, St. John's Coun. Ian Froude said the frequency of winds over 65 km/h are "pretty rare in the city."

He also noted that two-thirds of residents polled said they preferred the medium bin during the public engagement process in 2017.

Still, with this week's hurricane-like winds, many in St. John's witnessed overturned bins spinning in the streets, and they have their doubts about whether the medium-sized bins can stand up to the test.

But according to Froude, if the bins are toppled over before collection, homeowners can be assured their garbage will still be picked up.

"There are — and will be — hiccups as we go through Phase 1 of the rollout of this process," Froude said. Phase 1 begins June 11. 

"We'll figure those out and make any adaptations before we expand to the entire city."

Council intends to begin Phase 2 of the program in the spring of 2019.