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When we were elementary school students, we were always taught, in those interminable math lessons, that numbers never lie.

Tell that to Scarborough resident Mike McGrath, whose new garbage bin sent to him by city officials comes with their assurances that it has a 75-litre capacity, enough to hold one full garbage bag.

McGrath is one of a growing number of leery Scarborough homeowners who are struggling with the new garbage system that offers varying bin sizes and graduated cost, depending on the needs of the individual or family.

The bin in McGrath's possession is billed as having a 75-litre size by city officials, although a stamp on the bin delivered to his Scarborough home indicates it's 65 litres.

Furthermore, he questions claims that the bin he has chosen (the smallest offered by city officials) will hold one full bag of garbage. He's tried it and says it won't hold a full bag without being compressed. McGrath, like many other homeowners in this mature part of Scarborough, says he won't risk injury by forcing the bin to close, but worries he'll be charged extra on his quarterly water bill as city officials are contemplating for the retrieval and dumping of bins whose lids aren't properly closed.

It all seems a bit much for Scarborough residents who simply want to do their part and help the city reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

For its part, the city is inadvertently creating confusion and concern for residents as it relates to this latest rollout under the new waste management system. Residents are already questioning the advertised size of the bins (the city's website contains dimension measurements for the smallest bins that don't match McGrath's own measurements), the amount of trash they'll be able to hold and the costs that might be associated with the bins if they don't live up to their capacity.

We call on all Scarborough councillors, the city's waste services division and Mayor David Miller to immediately address these legitimate questions and find solutions.

The city's ambitious waste diversion plan is laudable and deserves the support of its citizens in achieving those goals. But city officials risk reduced participation among homeowners and tenants if the confusion isn't cleared up and if they don't provide answers to these honest and perplexing questions.

Put another way, city officials must start thinking inside the box.