TORONTO

The city is about to award its Etobicoke garbage contract to a new operator.

A report going to the public works committee next week recommends the city award an $88.6-million contract to pick up trash in the west end to Miller Waste Systems Inc.

The contract is currently held by Green For Life (GFL) - the private operator that collects waste across half the city both District 1 (Etobicoke) and District 2 (the area between Etobicoke and Yonge St.). GFL would continue collecting waste in District 2 after the change.

Miller Waste would hold the contract for six years - from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2021 - with an option to extend the contract for an additional two one-year periods. The total contract value is worth $88.6 million.

The contract cost is going up, around $940,000 more or 11.4% higher each year compared to the previous contract.

The city went through the bid process twice for the contract - GFL bid on the first tender but the process was cancelled and restarted.

GFL president and CEO Patrick Dovigi said he felt the process was “completely unfair.”

“The whole process has been completely ridiculous,” Dovigi said.

He added he plans to send a letter to the city complaining about the process.

Public Works chairman Denzil Minnan-Wong said GFL couldn’t bid on the contract because the city required operators to have a “satisfactory” Commercial Vehicle Operator Rating (CVOR) - GFL’s rating was lowered after it took over the District 2 contract.

“When we put out the tender they were non-compliant and they suffered the consequences of that,” Minnan-Wong said.

Minnan-Wong said he’s confident the tender process was a “robust process.”

The Don Valley East (Ward 34) councillor maintained contracting out garbage collection is still cheaper for the city than having trash collected by unionized city employees.

“It is still worth it,” Minnan-Wong said.

“The residents of Etobicoke have been exceedingly happy about private sector garbage collection.”​