The recent letter dismissing Langford’s proposal to study a municipal garbage collection system (City-run garbage collection would dump costs onto Langford taxpayers) suggests that this endeavour is unnecessary and costly. Before making bold claims about cost or government “overreach,” shouldn’t we first look at actual data?
Comparing garbage collection to government-run grocery stores is a flawed analogy. Waste management is a core public service, much like fire protection or road maintenance. The city’s role is to ensure these services are delivered reliably and sustainably. A municipal garbage service would be accountable directly to the public, not to shareholders or executives.
Much of the criticism of municipal garbage services comes from studies over two decades old. More recent, peer-reviewed studies have found no consistent evidence that private garbage collection is cheaper or more efficient than public services. Many municipalities have found that public services offer comparable or better performance, especially when considering accountability, environmental goals, and long-term planning. In fact, a 2025 study covering 23 years of data from four Western provinces found that public waste systems often outperform private ones in both returns and long-term infrastructure results.
As for the concern over property taxes, there’s no way to credibly predict a $600/year increase without conducting an actual review. Furthermore, it’s also important to consider the hidden costs of privatization. Multiple private companies operating in one city lead to duplication of infrastructure, with each company needing its own fleet, yard, marketing budget, and management team. Who pays for this redundancy? Customers do, through the service rates they’re charged. A coordinated, city-run system could eliminate inefficiencies and redirect those funds toward improving service.
While overflowing waste bins might have sparked this discussion, the conversation about municipal waste services is about more than just litter. It’s about building a waste system that is efficient and both environmentally and economically sustainable.
We can only speculate as to why Langford never considered municipal garbage collection before, but going forward, Langford deserves smart governance, and that means looking at all the facts before ruling anything out. Exploring a municipal garbage collection system is not about “doing everything.” It’s about making responsible, informed decisions.
Natalie McNeely
Langford
