Langford council’s proposal to study a city-run garbage collection system may sound well-intentioned, but it’s a costly and misguided response to an easily solvable problem. Overflowing public trash cans are unsightly, yes, but the solution isn’t to spend scarce public resources analyzing a potential overhaul of the city’s waste collection system.
Advocates of a city-run garbage collection service argue that it would be more efficient and improve service. But if we follow that reasoning to its conclusion, then why stop at garbage? Why not have the government run grocery stores and every other essential service? That’s not efficiency, that’s a path to government overreach, and history has shown that government-run operations are rarely the most innovative, responsive, or affordable.
A municipal garbage system would require land, trucks, equipment, and a full staff, including drivers, mechanics and administrators. These multi-million-dollar costs would be funded the only way cities know how: higher property taxes. Such a system could easily add $600+ per year to every household's property tax bill in Langford. The cost to Langford businesses would be significantly greater. In a city already grappling with affordability, this is the wrong direction.
In contrast, Langford’s current garbage system allows residents and businesses to choose their service provider. These private garbage companies operate in a competitive environment that encourages efficiency, innovation, and customer service, things rarely associated with government-run services. If one charges too much or provides poor service, customers can switch. That market pressure keeps costs in check and service quality high. A city-run monopoly removes that accountability and replaces it with bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, the actual problem prompting this entire debate, overflowing public trash cans, has a far simpler and far less expensive fix: increase the frequency of pickups at public receptacles, especially in high-traffic areas. The city already has a contractor handling these collections. Adjusting the contract to add more pickups is straightforward, immediate, and affordable.
Langford taxpayers don’t need an expensive city-run garbage empire, they need practical solutions. Let’s fix the overflowing bins by increasing pickup frequency. Let’s govern smarter, not spend bigger. And let’s remember: when government tries to do everything, it rarely does anything well.
Steven Rossander, director
Langford | Westshore Economic Development Committee
