Peterborough city council on Monday approved several waste management service changes, including a new biweekly garbage collection beginning in the fall.
Effective Oct. 31, garbage collection will shift to a biweekly schedule and also require the use of clear bags for curbside collection.
Council did not discuss the motion, which was presented as part of an extensive staff report earlier this month and approved the changes as part of the city’s Waste Management Master Plan Update.
It is expected that the number of garbage bags that each household can put out for collection biweekly will be set at four bags, up from the current limit of two lifts.
The city says the collection of household organic waste (green bin program) will be weekly. Recyclables (blue bin) collection remains weekly, with the drop-off facility on 390 Pido Rd. open daily 24 hours a day.
“Garbage amounts are expected to reduce by between 40 per cent and 50 per cent, which will allow garbage collection to shift to an every-other-week schedule that is common in other communities that have green bin programs,” the city stated.
The city says the use of clear bags for garbage will “support waste diversion efforts” and improve worker safety for garbage collectors by helping to avoid incidents with sharp objects in garbage bags.
Residents will still be permitted to use a small opaque bag, such as a grocery bag, as a “privacy bag” that could be put into the larger clear bag. The privacy bag could be used for items such as medical prescription containers and other confidential items.
“The city will accept garbage bags that have some recyclable materials in the garbage – a reasonable approach will be taken to encourage diverting waste from garbage,” the city states. “But using clear bags will allow for education efforts if there is clearly no attempt at sorting out materials for recycling.”
Currently, all eight townships in Peterborough County already require clear bags for garbage collection.
Combined, the city estimates the service changes will bolster the waste diversion rate from about 52 per cent to between 76 and 83 per cent by 2030.
The city says increasing the waste diversion rate to 75 per cent will add another five to six years of life to the Bensfort Road landfill site.
The city says the every-other-week garbage collection is common in communities that have green bin programs, such as Barrie, Durham Region, Guelph, Ottawa, Peel, Simcoe County, Waterloo and Toronto.
Green bin
The city will provide residents with informational material about the green bin program in September.
A green bin (deemed pest-proof with a locking mechanism on the lid) for curbside collection and a smaller container for use in the kitchen will be delivered to all eligible households. The program is being rolled out to most residential properties, except for multi-residential and condominium properties that receive private waste collection services.
The Downtown Business Improvement Area, apartment buildings, and private road-serviced developments are not included in this phase of the program implementation.
After receiving their green bins, residents are encouraged to wait until about Oct. 20 before starting to use them to store food waste for collection, the city advises.
Public education and awareness activities will be taking place over the next eight months leading up to the start of the green bin program and the other changes for waste management services.
The city’s website will also offer details on the service changes.
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