Green bins and biweekly garbage collection given OK by London, Ont. committee

The most significant change to waste collection in over 25 years in London, Ont., is one step closer following a committee approval Tuesday afternoon.

The civic works committee voted unanimously to implement the green bin program and change the pickup dates of garbage and recycling starting mid-January next year.

The decision still requires full council approval later this month.

Moving away from the current one-week-plus-a-day cycle for collection, Londoners are set to have a more consistent schedule with recycling and green bins picked up once a week and garbage – including diapers and pet waste – biweekly.

The day of the week collection occurs would only change when affected by statutory holidays, with everyone’s day moving forward by one. That change would stay in place until the next statutory holiday, when it would move forward again by a day.

Jay Stanford, the city’s director of climate change, environment and waste management, said an extra garbage collection day would be added to certain homes around holidays to ensure nobody’s garbage goes longer than 14 days between pickups.

“Essentially, people are going to be asked to hold onto their garbage for four to six extra days compared to the current system,” Stanford said during the meeting.

The introduction of green bins has been an over decade-long subject in London, as a pilot project ran for a year in 2011. While that pilot project did not lead to a permanent plan, Stanford previously told Global News he believes now is finally the time.

“The green bin was just not as high as other priorities on council’s agenda, but that has all changed,” Stanford said.

Members of council who spoke during the meeting were complimentary of the green bin program and more straightforward collection schedule, with multiple using their time to ask Stanford how they could assist in educating residents on how the environmentally friendly initiative will work.

Stanford said if council approves the plan later this month, residents should expect to receive an interim waste collection schedule for October to mid-January by early next month. The promotion and education of the green bins would start mid-September.

Residents should expect to receive their green bin, kitchen container and program information between mid-October and mid-December, with the new collection dates starting Jan. 15, 2024.

The only change committee members made to the staff recommended motion was to request a report back to council six months after the program launch on top of the one year after report to provide further details on how it is running.

A proposed amendment proposed by Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen seconded by Coun. Sam Trosow to delay the increasing of garbage tag fee for extra bags from $1.50 to $2 failed in a vote 2-3.

Regular council will meet on Aug. 29 to confirm the committee recommendation.