In the wake of a six-week civic workers strike, Toronto city council will consider a motion to declare garbage collection an essential service. (Canadian Press)

Toronto city council is going to stick its nose back into the garbage issue on Thursday when it meets to consider a motion to declare trash collection an essential service.

Coun. Michael Walker is going to introduce three motions, which would prevent three groups of city workers — garbage collectors, paramedics and daycare workers — from going on strike in the future.

The big garbage cleanup following the six-week municipal workers' strike is continuing in most parts of Toronto.

Residential garbage is being collected and the sites where trash was dumped temporarily during the walkout are also being given a final cleaning.

But some local politicians say they don't want to see residents go through this again.

Walker says it was the placing of temporary dump sites in public parks that convinced him to take action.

"This was on the verge of becoming a major health hazard. The bottom line is that we want the services we pay for, we want them 365, we don't want them on and off," he said.

But it's the issue of garbage collection that's causing the biggest stink.

Coun. Karen Stinz says she plans to vote against it.

"Garbage collection is not an essential service, it doesn't impact health and safety of people, when it's not collected it's an inconvenience but it doesn't meet the definition of an essential service," she said.

Stinz says if the city declares garbage collection essential it will mean future contracts will be subject to binding arbitration and that will be much costlier for the city in the long run.