Recycling Woes: Toronto and Michael Fagan

recycling woes: City of Toronto employee Paolo Trulli, centre, talks to Mabel Ernest, left, and Michael Fagan, right, during a forum seeking residents' input on Toronto's recycling system, according to Toronto Star. David Rider The design sprint Friday, co-hosted by the city and a non-profit at Civic Hall Toronto, was a first attempt to tackle Toronto's vexing, expensive recycling woes through the eyes of the residents who actually use and sometimes abuse the resident-funded garbage, blue-box and green-bin system. Over the next four and a half hours, he guides the multicultural mix of volunteers of all ages and genders as they work through their feelings about recycling, obstacles to doing it right and possible solutions to the complex system's acknowledged problems. We normally deal with the waste management industry or packaging companies or the manufacturers, to fight problems including contamination of blue bins via food waste that stains paper or addition of non-recyclables, such as old clothes, says the city's Vincent Sferrazza. Article Continued Below His solid waste division last spring warned city councillors of a potential 2018 budget shortfall now forecast at about 10 million triggered by factors including Chinese recyclers turning away non-pristine paper fibre and, at home, increased bin contamination that boosts processing costs. This is a great opportunity for us now to engage with residents, community groups, social groups and others to ask, What are we doing and not doing right ', he says, with recycling as well as a multi-pronged public education campaign to tell people what needs to go in which bin. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.