Autobin Placement Policy (Oct 24, 2005)

Overflowing autobins may be because there are too many homes per autobin.   Here's the City's policy and can provide support when additional, or re-positioned, bins are being requested from the City:

Water and Waste Department  

POLICY ON PLACEMENT OF SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL AUTOBINS

1.                     INTRODUCTION

This policy outlines the practices of the Water and Waste Department with respect to the placement of single family residential AutoBins.

2.                 AUTHORITY

The authority for this policy comes from the City of Winnipeg Solid Waste By-Law No. 1340/76. The relevant section of the bylaw is reproduced below.

24. AUTOMATED SOLID WASTE COLLECTION Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this By-law: (a)   The Designated Officer may designate any area of the City for automated solid waste collection through the use of containers for curb collection or containers for back lane collection. and (c)   BACK LANE COLLECTION (i)  The City shall locate containers for back lane collection from residential premises at sites designated by the Designated Officer. (ii)  Where containers for back lane collection are so located, the occupants of residential premises adjoining the back lane shall deposit garbage, rubbish and ashes for collection by the City in the unfilled container nearest the residential premise from which the garbage, rubbish and ashes originated.

3.                     INTERPRETATION

a)   Interpretation of the policy requirements in specific situations is vested in the Manager of Solid Waste Services.

4.                     PLACEMENT

When determining the placement location of an AutoBin, a number of factors need to be considered.  It is important to note that it is a process of determining the most suitable location, as there is rarely an ideal or perfect situation where all of the risks associated with the various factors can be fully mitigated. The factors to be considered, in no particular order, are as follows:

a)   Adjacent Properties:  AutoBins are to be placed on public property with consideration for the access and egress requirements of the adjacent properties.

b)   Aesthetics:  AutoBins are to be placed in lanes.  Single family locations that do not have backlanes shall be collected manually.

c)   Capacity:  The AutoBin system is designed so that a 2.25 cubic metre container, collected about 50 times per year, will service between 3 and 5 single family residential dwellings.  When determining the number of AutoBins required, a review of the number of homes in a block versus the capacity of the AutoBins should be considered.

d)   Collection:  In order to have an efficient collection system, AutoBins are to be placed on one side of the lane only.  The specific side of the lane shall be determined by considering the street layout of the area (access restrictions such as T-lanes, centre boulevards on arterial streets, one ways, etc.) The principles of heuristic routing shall be used to determine the most efficient collection route.

e)   Convenience:  In order to minimize the distance a resident is required to carry their household garbage, the AutoBins should be spaced out along the lane, ideally behind every second or third home.

f)    Fire Prevention:  In order to minimize the impact of an AutoBin fire, AutoBins should not be placed under window openings of buildings that are adjacent to the property line.

g)   Local Traffic:  In order to minimize the potential for vehicular collisions, consideration should be made to place AutoBins on the same side of the lane as the utility poles.  This maximizes the available width of the lane for vehicles to travel on.

h)   Neighbourhood Consensus:  If known, the desires of a neighbourhood should be considered when determining the placement of the AutoBins.

i)    Safety:  In consideration for the safety of pedestrians using walkways and sidewalks that exit on to lanes, AutoBin placements adjacent to walkways or sidewalks should be minimized.

j)    Snow Clearing:  In order to facilitate snow clearing operations, AutoBins should not be placed in restricted width areas that do not allow for the passage of snow clearing equipment and the associated windrows of snow.

5.                     REQUESTS FROM RESIDENTS

a)   Requests from residents for removal or relocation of AutoBins should be made to the Water and Waste Department Customer Service Call Centre.

b)   Responses shall be provided to customers within 7 days of creation of the service request.

  (October 24, 2005  Provided by Dan Cyrenne)