Cape Breton residents who have watched garbage pile up at the end of their driveways could soon get relief in the form of eight additional collection workers, but it’s projected to come with a hefty price tag. A staff report is recommending the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) approve the hiring of eight full-time collection personnel to “provide a reliable staffing buffer.” The extra workers are expected to add roughly $700,000 to the solid waste collection budget. Council will discuss the report and its recommendation at their meeting on Thursday. Garbage collection in the municipality has been a hot-button issue this year, with many residents saying they’ve had to personally take their trash to the dump after it was left on the curb. District 8 Coun. Steven MacNeil previously told CTV News Atlantic that some people have gone multiple weeks without having their garbage collected. Ongoing issue The trash problems in the CBRM stretch back to last December when the municipality’s garbage and recyclable collection contracts were set to expire. According to the staff report, the municipality put out a call for proposals ahead of the expiration, but the results were underwhelming. “The proposal closed on September 25, 2025, and only one proposal was received,” the report reads. “Although the proposal narrowly met the technical evaluation requirements, the proposed cost was significantly above the approved budget. As a result, CBRM could not proceed with the proposal. “The limited market response also created an immediate operational risk, as there was no viable contracted solution available to continue collection service within the approved financial framework.” Staff recommended using CBRM workers to complete the collection service. A full municipality service was launched last April. Since then, the municipality has experienced “growing pains,” according to the staff report, including missed collections and delayed pickups. “Early service challenges included route familiarization, changes to pickup times, resident confusion regarding collection requirements, and the need for additional education on solid waste sorting and by-law requirements,” the report reads. Staffing problem The report said the biggest challenge for the collection service has been the lack of staff. The current staff can handle service under normal conditions, but the report says it doesn’t have the capacity to deal with sickness, vacations, training, weather delays and workplace accommodations. Due to these pressures, the municipality has had to rely on overtime, which reduces its ability to deliver consistent service. The report also said the continued use of aging fleet units that are beyond their useful life and a shortage of mechanics have impacted the municipality’s available equipment. Many of these problems came to a head during a thunderstorm on July 3, according to the report. Delayed operations, multiple staff absences and mechanical breakdowns resulted in pickup delays and cancellations. “The events of that day demonstrated that the current system requires additional staffing capacity if CBRM is to provide reliable collection service during non-ideal operating conditions,” the report reads. New workers The staff report says human resources has identified six-to-eight heavy equipment operators who could be hired if council approves the recommendation. The report does not expect the new workers would need additional collection equipment as five new trucks are already set to replace the aging equipment this fall. The report notes council would need to approve the $700,000 to hire the new workers as it is not included in the current budget. “If the additional personnel are not approved, CBRM will continue to operate collection service with limited relief capacity,” the report reads. “This increases the likelihood of missed or delayed collections. “The municipality would also remain more dependent on overtime, emergency call-ins, and short-term contracted assistance, none of which provide the same level of certainty as a stable inhouse staffing complement. Over time, this could result in higher resident complaints, reduced confidence in the collection service, greater pressure on supervisors and operators, and continued difficulty maintaining consistent route completion across the municipality.” With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
