Letter to the Editor: Response to Bartley Kives - "Moveable trash bins eyed for northwest"
August 21, 2009 at 2:20 AM
The following is a copy of President Mike Davidson's Letter to the Editor published in the Winnipeg Free Press August 21, 2009
Moveable trash bins eyed for northwest (Aug. 19).
The article indicates that the city's solid waste department is exploring the idea of collecting garbage in the city's northwest with moveable carts.
The theory is that this automated idea would now be safer for the private contractor and its staff and better for the environment assuming new, more energy efficient vehicles would be used in place of existing garbage trucks.
As this was a similar idea that Local 500 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees proposed to the city several years ago, it is of small comfort for us to see it being examined now. Our members, who provided this service to the city, were its greatest resource in this area, and their views weren't appreciated or considered. Now the same idea gets consideration.
Since the city is out of the garbage collection business, where is the competition? And whatever happened to the city's fleet of garbage trucks?
I would also hope this plan calls for some type of public input from the citizens of our city.
Our members are proud to provide quality services and make suggestions for improvements. We just wish the city would listen to their ideas -- I guess better late than never.
Mike Davidson
CUPE Local 500
