New proposal could charge Ottawa residents for extra bags of garbage by 2024
Posted May 4, 2023 05:49:29 PM.
Ottawa residents could be charged for extra bags of garbage they put out on the curb.
A city of Ottawa proposal called a partial Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) program, could require residents to pay for additional garbage bags.
The city says with this proposal, each household would get 55 garbage tags per year, and all items that need to be picked up would need a tag. If a resident needs extra tags, it would cost a fee of $3 for every extra bag.
Multiple bags could go into a standard garbage can under one tag. There would also be what the city calls ‘special considerations’ for things like diapers and non-hazardous medical waste.
“Right now, it’s voluntarily to ask people to please recycle or to use compost, and all these things are very important because that Trail Road Landfill (has a) finite lifespan,” said Bay Ward councillor Theresa Kavanagh. “And then, we have to find another one.”
Coun. Kavanagh told The Sam Laprade Show on Thursday, May 4, his proposal could also encourage residents to consider recycling or using their green bins properly. She added that it may encourage people to think about other ways to get rid of their waste instead of heading to the landfill.
The city noted if the garbage tag program was implemented, the city’s garbage per capita could be reduced by up to 28 per cent and the curbside waste diversion rate could increase by up to six per cent.
More than 70 municipalities in the province have a partial Pay-As-You-Throw program in place, including Kingston, Russell, Carleton Place, and Perth.
The city’s Environment and Climate Change Committee will consider the proposal on Monday, June 5. If the program is approved, the city plans to initiate it by the spring of 2024.
