With supply chain issues causing delays for vehicle orders and limited heavy-duty mechanics to work on the city's aging garbage trucks, Timmins is considering renting vehicles.
In recent weeks, there have been a number of waste collection delays that see residential pick-up pushed to the late evening or to the next day.
The city is working to address the issues, but there will continue to be collection delays moving forward, according to a statement.
Two trucks bought by the city in 2020 are on backorder. The city says the main reason for the delay is supply chain issues.
“We are looking at rental options for collection trucks and relying heavily on contractors to complete waste and recycling schedules,” said Scott Tam, manager of Environmental Services, in a news release. “It really has been a perfect storm with limited heavy-duty mechanics available to work on our trucks while we wait for our two new vehicles to arrive. As of right now, we do not have a date of delivery.”
When there are unavoidable delays or postponements, a notice is posted by the city.
There are also times when the notice advises that the service is postponed to the next day, residents bring their bins in for the night and then the collection truck drives by later in the evening.
"Moving forward, Waste Management Services is communicating the cut-off for collection with our contractors so that residents have a defined time to bring in their bins," said Amanda Dyer, corporate communications co-ordinator.
Contractors are also being used to subsidize the city operations. The costs associated to that weren't included in the city new release. TimminsToday has asked for details on the price tag.