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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPDS-064-25Council Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: Council Date of Meeting: November 17, 2025 Report Number: PDS-064-25 Authored By: Hebah Masood, Planner II Submitted By: Darryl Lyons, Deputy CAO, Planning and Infrastructure Services Reviewed By: Mary-Anne Dempster, CAO File Number: PC-2025-0006 Resolution#: Report Subject: Private Waste Pick Up for a multi-residential building at 22 Church Street, Bowmanville Purpose of Report: The purpose of this report is to provide information to Council regarding private waste collection for multi-unit residential developments. Recommendations: 1.That Report PDS-064-25 and any related communication items, be received for information only; 2.That all interested parties listed in Report PDS-064-25 and any delegations be advised of Council’s decision. Municipality of Clarington Page 2 Report PDS-064-25 Report Overview This report is in response to the direction from Council to prepare a report regarding a request to permit private waste pickup at 22 Church Street, Bowmanville. At the Planning and Development Committee Meeting on November 10, 2025, Resolution # PD-099-25 was carried as follows: “That the Delegation by Michael Fry, D.G. Biddle and Associates Limited and Anthony Camposeo, Trademark Homes, regarding a Request for Permission to Vary from Development Standards to Allow for Private Waste Collection be referred to the November 17, 2025, Council meeting.” Since the Planning and Development Committee meeting Staff have consulted with Durham Region regarding regional and private waste service provision, reviewed the previous Council resolution regarding this matter and the Clarington Official Plan, both of which encourage regional waste pickup services but do not prohibit consideration of private pickup on a site specific basis, which was counter to Staff’s previous understanding. While new multi-unit residential proposals will continue to be strongly encouraged as per the Clarington Official Plan and Region’s Waste Guidelines, private waste pickup can be considered and evaluated on an individual case basis, in particular for small intensification sites in the urban area that can also support housing targets. 1. Background 1.1 At the Planning and Development Committee Meeting (PDC) on November 10, 2025, a deputation was made by Michael Fry on behalf of Anthony Camposeo to request that Council support private waste pickup for a proposed intensification project at 22 Church Street. 1.2 The applicant had pre-consulted with the Municipality earlier in 2025 and is proposing more than 6 units which, in accordance with Durham Region By-Law 2024-009, requires an onsite turnaround for Durham Region waste pick-up vehicles. Staff indicated there was insufficient space for the turnaround and therefore private waste pickup options would need to be explored further with the Municipality. Discussions with the applicant continued after the pre-consultation and Staff incorrectly indicated that approval for private waste collection would require a Council direction. 1.3 Following the PDC meeting, Staff consulted with the Region to confirm their requirements, as waste collection is a Regional service and a further explanation of the Region’s waste program is provided in the Discussion section of this report. Staff also reviewed the 2019 Clarington Council resolution and can advise that it does not prohibit private waste pickup. It does, however, encourage the use of Regional waste services which also aligns with the Clarington Official Plan. Municipality of Clarington Page 3 Report PDS-064-25 1.4 As such, it has been determined that there is no barrier to prevent consideration of private waste collection for multi-unit residential proposals, which can be evaluated on an individual basis. However, Staff will continue to encourage municipal waste collection as per Clarington’s Official Plan policies and Council resolution # PD-029-19 to support proper sorting of waste material and responsible waste diversion. 2. Clarington Official Plan and Previous Council Resolution 2.1 The Clarington Official Plan contains a section on sustainable design and climate change. Policy 5.5.1 f) states that Clarington will seek to address climate change and become a more sustainable community that minimizes the consumption of energy, water, and other resources and reduces impacts on the natural environment. To this end, the Municipality will, among other matters, promote the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste, with particular attention to multi-residential housing forms, which meets applicable Provincial standards and has given consideration to the Region’s waste collection design and servicing requirements. 2.2 The Clarington Official Plan speaks to adherence to applicable Provincial standards and has consideration for the Region’s collection and servicing requirements. 2.3 The Provincial Standards indicate through Ontario Regulation 103/94 of the Environmental Protection, in part, that "The Owner of the building that contains six or more dwelling units shall implement a source separation program for the waste generated at the building.” This would mean that owners of any building containing six or more units must have a source separation program in place. 2.4 The main issue with having private waste management is adherence and compliance with the required Provincial regulations. For this reason, the Council resolution that was brought forward in 2019 strongly encouraged all multi-unit residential proposals to accommodate Municipal waste pick up, which is better resourced for program consistency and adherence to Provincial regulations. 2.5 At the Council meeting on March 11, 2019, Resolution # PD-029-19 was approved as follows: “Whereas the Region of Durham provides residential waste collection to the residents of Clarington; Whereas the Municipality of Clarington recognizes the importance of providing consistent waste collection for all residents, regardless of dwelling type to achieve best use of the Blue Box and Green Bin programs; Whereas to achieve this, the Municipality of Clarington encourages all applicants of multi-unit residential development to comply with the Region of Durham b y-law and regulations for Waste Management Services; Municipality of Clarington Page 4 Report PDS-064-25 Whereas the Region of Durham By-Law 46-2011 is a By-law regulating the provision of the Waste Management Services under the jurisdiction of The Regional Municipality of Durham. Schedule “P” to the By-law requires all private roads in multi-residential developments used by Regional Waste vehicles be a minimum of 6.5 metres in width and provide a minimum of 13 metres in turning radii; Whereas the Region of Durham Works Department staff is proposing to review existing policies and by-laws related to the provision of waste collection services, including on multi-residential developments; Now therefore, the Municipality of Clarington requests that part of the review by Regional Works and Planning Staff be the consideration of reducing minimum private road width and turning radii requirements to match those of the Ontario Fire Code for fire truck access on private roads, 6.0 m and 12 metres respectively.” 3. Additional Information 3.1 As of July 1, 2024, Circular Materials of Ontario (CMO) is responsible for blue bin collection in Ontario under the Extended Producer Responsibility Program. As of January 1, 2026, no new multi-residential buildings can partake in CMO blue bin collection, which will remain effective until at least 2031. CMO will continue to be responsible for all existing multi-residential buildings that are under their responsibility as of December 31, 2025. However new buildings will have to arrange for private pick - up of recycling. 3.2 This means that despite the Council Resolution in 2019, which encourages Municipal waste pickup, starting January 1, 2026, the property will not be eligible for municipal recycling pickup, and the owner must arrange for a private contractor for the recycling. This adds an ongoing operational cost for the owner since the proposal must still meet local waste diversion and recycling requirements, even if handled privately. 3.3 The subject site may have the opportunity to onboard for Municipal waste pickup in the future when the Region of Durham renews their contract with the Municipality of Clarington in 2028 if considerations are given to proposals with 10 units or less to have curbside pickup. This will need to be negotiated with the Region of Durham at that time . However, a tri-sort system would still be required at the onset for the proposed development. Municipality of Clarington Page 5 Report PDS-064-25 4. Discussion 4.1 The subject site, 22 Church Street, is considered a multi-residential property under the Region’s Technical and Risk Management Guidelines for Municipal Waste Collection Services on Private Property and for New Residential Developments. The proposed 10- unit apartment building cannot meet the requirements for onsite municipal waste pick up and the By-law does not permit curbside pickup for multi-residential buildings consisting of six units or more. 4.2 The main concerns around private waste pick up are the associated additional costs to the residents or owners to manage the private waste pickup (especially for smaller rental sites where condominium fees are not collected) and how the private owner will ensure appropriate tri-sort system is being adhered to. 4.3 Given that the Planning Act now exempts units with 10 units or less from Site Plan Control, it will be increasingly difficult to condition and enforce proper waste management. Planning and Infrastructure Staff are seeing an increase in proposals with ten or fewer units, which do not require Site Plan Applications. This is especially the case within our urban areas, and a number of these applications will inevitably be on smaller sites, which will have similar size limitations. 4.4 Recent discussions with the Region of Durham suggest that they may be investigating opportunities to revisit municipal waste pickup or curbside pickup for th ese types of proposals. It is recommended that Staff continue to work with the Region to evaluate waste management approaches for development proposals comprising ten or fewer residential units, especially when the Region renews their operational contract in 2028. Smaller-scale developments often present unique challenges in meeting municipal waste collection standards, and further analysis will help ensure that solutions are both operationally feasible and aligned with sustainability objectives. 5. Financial Considerations 5.1 There are no associated costs to the Municipality of Clarington. However, it is noted that if curb-side private waste pick up is pursued, there is no way to enforce against mixing of garbage, compost, and recycling. Additionally, there is no way to enforce against illegal dumping. There may also be an associated increase in By-law complaints resulting in the Municipal Law Enforcement team needing to inspect the property. 6. Strategic Plan 6.1 Not Applicable 7. Climate Change 7.1 Not Applicable 8. Concurrence 8.1 Not Applicable. Municipality of Clarington Page 6 Report PDS-064-25 9. Conclusion 9.1 Planning and Infrastructure Staff prepared this report for Council information regarding private waste management pickup for smaller multi-unit residential proposals. While new multi-unit residential proposals will continue to be strongly encouraged in accordance with the Clarington Official Plan and the Region’s Waste Guidelines, private waste pickup can be considered and will be evaluated on an individual case basis, in particular for small intensification sites in urban areas that can also support housing targets. Staff Contact: Hebah Masood, Planner II Planner, (905) 623-3379 x 2437 or hmasood@clarington.net.