Latest news with #organics
CTV News
12 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
No green bin, no garbage pickup: County revisits new strict policy for organics participation
The County of Simcoe is once again pushing to move forward with strict measures to improve resident participate in the organics program. In 2024, solid waste management staff presented council with the tougher measures, and at the time, council encouraged focusing on promotion and education rather than enforcement. In a Tuesday Committee of the Whole meeting, the program was laid out once again, emphasizing how the method is proven to drive increases in organics. What It Means If approved, the County would soft launch on November 1. At that time, collection crews would continue to pick up waste carts with no organics cart at the curb, but a cart hanger would be left behind to inform residents of the changes coming. Then on December 1, the new program would be fully implemented, meaning residents must place their green bin (organics) at the curb for collection if they want their garbage to be picked up. 'The County's curbside organics program has been in place since 2008 and while it has been successful in diverting over 250,000 tonnes of organics from landfill there is still room for improvement,' County staff noted. According to recent audits, 46 per cent of what is being tossed in the trash should have been placed in the organics cart. If the new program goes forward, it's anticipated to increase organics tonnage by 10 to 20 per cent. Backyard Composts Not Enough Door-to-door investigations by County staff reportedly revealed 71 per cent of the roughly 90 households they spoke with threw all organic waste in the garbage, while 23 per cent had backyard composters. 'All residents that had a backyard composter had organics in their garbage cart, indicated that they used the garbage cart for items that did not belong in the backyard composter or were unaware of the other materials that could go in the cart,' the report stated. The remaining six per cent stated other reasons for not using the green bin, including putting scraps in a field for animals to consume. Landfill Woes When organic waste like food scraps is thrown in the trash instead of the green bin, it causes several problems, the County highlighted. It takes up space in landfill runoff and produces methane - a greenhouse gas that is harmful to the environment. The County says its two remaining landfills are almost full. The Nottawasaga landfill will close later this year, and the Oro landfill is expected to reach capacity by 2027. Once that happens, all garbage will need to be exported or sent to a waste energy facility, both of which the County says are costly. If the program is implemented successfully, raising the organics capture rate to 60 per cent by 2028 could save the County around $30,000 per year. Hitting 75 per cent diversion could lead to yearly savings of more than $130,000, according to the report. The County expects promoting the program to educate residents would come with an estimated $125,000 price tag. The County would also offer a reduced fee for organics carts to $25 from October 1 until December 31 for residents needing them. The program would not apply to residents of Barrie or Orillia, which have their own waste collection programs.
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
New garbage carts to be delivered starting this week: Here's what you need to know
New garbage and organics carts will be delivered to Barrie residents starting the week of June 16, 2025, ahead of the program starting Sept. 8, 2025. Residents and businesses across Barrie will start to receive new garbage and organics carts as of this week, but the actual automated curbside collection program doesn't start just yet. Once you receive your new carts, find a spot to store them until the program begins on Sept. 8. Delivery of the new carts will take place throughout the summer months, with over 90,000 being delivered to the end of driveways. "You don't need to sign for them, and you don't need to be home when they are delivered," the City stated. 'If you're planning on being away (i.e. on vacation) during your delivery window, please ask a neighbour to park your carts by your house or garage.' Carts will not be available for pickup at city facilities. Curbside Collection Area Cart Delivery Window Monday (Area A & B) June 16–27 Tuesday (Area A & B) June 30–July 11 Wednesday (Area A & B) July 14–25 Thursday (Area A & B) July 28–August 8 Friday (Area A & B) August 11–22 Downtown Barrie BIA August 25–29 Residents are asked to avoid filling the carts with waste until the week before the cart collection program begins, and to write the property address with a permanent marker on the white area of the cart. Carts cannot be exchanged with others. They are equipped with a radio frequency identification tag (RFID) and unique serial number to each assigned property. 'All collection trucks are equipped with a RFID reader and onboard computer that can help ensure carts stay with the correct property,' the City stated. Curbside cart delivery schedule Carts may arrive any given weekday within the scheduled delivery window. The City says the schedule is approximate and subject to change. Each residential property will receive one 120L organics cart and one 240L garbage cart at no charge, unless a request was made for a smaller version. Owners of properties with two to five residential units can request additional sets of carts. # of Units per Residential Property Max. # of Garbage Carts (240L) per Residential Property Max. # of Organics Carts (120L) per Residential Property 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 2 2 4 3 3 5 3 3 Recycling carts are not part of the automated cart collection program. Residential recycling collection is managed by Circular Materials and will continue to be collected in the blue and grey bins. The City says Circular Materials may change the way recycling is collected in the future, but no further information was provided.
CTV News
08-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Waterloo Region to switch to cart-based waste collection by 2026
Starting in March 2026, the Region of Waterloo will introduce a cart-based collection system for garbage and organics. CTV's Hannah Schmidt explains. Starting in March 2026, the Region of Waterloo will introduce a cart-based collection system for garbage and organics. CTV's Hannah Schmidt explains. Starting in March 2026, the Region of Waterloo will introduce a cart-based collection system for garbage and organics, marking a major change in how waste is handled at the curb. The move will impact approximately 161,000 single-family homes, duplexes and 3-to-6 unit buildings, along with about 8,500 multi-residential properties and townhouse complexes that meet truck access requirements. Currently, most waste collection in the region is done manually, with workers lifting and dumping individual bins and bags. The Region says switching to large wheeled carts will improve worker safety, increase efficiency and reduce litter on collection days. 'You can imagine staff members are picking up about 800 bags of garbage a day,' explained Olivia Kwok, manager of waste collection and diversion with the Region of Waterloo. 'It's really heavy; it's really hard work. There's a lot of risks for injuries. So, by switching to a cart-based collection system, we're reducing that risk. We're also ensuring reliability in our service because that way we're actually getting staff to continue the work. We're retaining staff members for a longer period in their career and we're really trying to attract folks to join the workforce.' Each residential property will receive one green organics cart and one black garbage cart free of charge before the system launches in 2026. Information kits will be provided with instructions and tips for using the carts properly. Residents will have the opportunity to select a smaller-sized garbage cart if preferred. The online cart selection tool is expected to go live in mid-June and remain available into July. The green organics cart will be provided in one standard size. 'For residents, what's handy is that these carts will be provided to each household. So you no longer have to buy garbage bags if you don't want to use them. You can set your waste directly in the carts or you can bag them if you'd like. What's really nice for the residents is that you can roll them out to the curb to be set out,' explained Kwok. In preparation for the rollout, the Region showcased the new carts at several public events over the weekend. Carts are also on display at municipal buildings across the region, including city and township community centres and the Region of Waterloo headquarters. Residents are encouraged to download the Waste Whiz app or follow the Region's social media channels for notifications and updates about the rollout.
