City received more than 50 broken bin complaints a day last year, new data shows

Broken bins topped the list of common complaints by Torontonians last year, according to new data released by 311.

Broken bins topped the list of common complaints by Torontonians last year, according to new data released by 311.

The call centre fielded nearly half a million service requests in 2023 via phone, web, and mobile app — compiling a municipal metric of resident concerns.

“This is a really big city, and what’s fascinating is to see what matters to different people in different parts of the city,” Councillor Stephen Holyday, who chairs the Service Excellence Committee, told CTV News Toronto.

Of the 487,243 service requests submitted by Torontonians in 2023, nearly 20,000 pertained to damaged bin lids — an average of 54 broken bin complaints per day. Potholes represented the second most common complaint, while calls for injured or dead wildlife prompted more than 32,000 service calls combined.

Property standards and maintenance violations rounded out the top five.

“For most people, what matters about city politics is doorstep issues. It’s literally what’s happening at your front door, around your home in your daily life,” Myer Siemiatycki, professor emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University said Monday.

“It’s residents saying to the City, ‘look I’ve contributed, I’ve paid my way [in taxes], and I should be getting better and improved services.’”