More than 400 new “no-leash” dog waste bins are expected to roll out in this week in the Toronto area, in an effort to stop littering.
The bins measure only six square feet and are designed for collection from streetsides, making it hard for dogs to be taken to them. But the vehicles are intended to be “a visual message” to stay away from the bags that will be collected in smaller, more traditional brown receptacles.
The new bins, which come in six sizes, contain a prominent “poop carrier” that has a large circle marked “DDW” across it. A small red circle adorns the front of the bin. If properly placed, the carrier will be worn around the dog’s neck or waist and will be maintained by owners for as long as the dog needs it.
The bags will be placed about three-quarters of a foot apart from the curb. Toronto’s Globe and Mail reported that the city plans to add more large bins as these types of bins become more readily available.
“We think this works,” Tory told the paper. “It’s just kind of an extra breakpoint.”
Toronto has seen a dog poop problem in the past. In 2016, the city began asking dog owners to pick up after their pooches. Tory said at the time that half of the items the city collected were dog poop.
“It’s not an easy problem,” he said. “It’s a problem that breeds up, it’s a problem that dogs create, it’s a problem that keeps growing, and it’s also a problem that you sometimes can’t deal with in the way I’d like to.”
For many years, the city has been seeing increased incidents of dog waste on streets and in parks, both as a result of dogs being left behind and out of the owners’ sight.
The effort to encourage the dogs to pick up their act comes amid other pressure on the city to address its overflowing garbage piles and to improve public health and safety. The effort has come at a high cost for the city.
The city has been forced to charge a whopping $95 for a garbage bin and $24.50 a month for the bin’s maintenance. Mayor John Tory says those rates, which apply to private homes as well as residents, will increase to a combined $125 a month in 2020.
