Here’s The Skinny On The Three-Bag Garbage Limit

This is a release from the City of Ottawa:

The City’s new three-item garbage limit starts this week. The limit applies to residents who receive curbside waste collection, including those whose waste is collected in one shared location and those living on agricultural properties.

There will continue to be no limit to the number of green, blue and black bins and leaf and yard waste.

The new limit will encourage households to rethink what truly needs to go to landfill and what could be reduced, reused, recycled or composted instead. Reducing unnecessary waste from going to landfill helps keeps disposal and collection costs lower. It also helps extend the life of our Trail Road Waste Facility Landfill as we explore new options for waste disposal.

Around 85 per cent of households already set out three garbage items or fewer on collection day. The new limit is more generous than many municipalities, including neighbouring communities around our city.

This new limit is the first change to garbage collection in many years so we want to share answers to some frequently asked questions.

What counts as a garbage item?

An item includes the following:

A garbage bag that weighs up to 33 pounds (15 kilograms)
A garbage container up to 140 litres. Households can put several waste bags in a bin so long as the weight is less than 33 pounds (15 kilograms) per bin.
A furniture or bulky item that can’t be re-used or donated
 
 

Can I set out different combinations of items?

You can have any combination of the accepted garbage items as long as they stay within the limit of three. For example, you can set out:

Two bins and one broken chair or
Two black garbage bags and one bin or
Three bins  
 

 
Do I have to use a 140-litre container??

You can use a plastic or metal garbage container of any size up to 140 litres and up to a combined weight of 33 pounds which includes the bin and waste.  If you already have a 121-litre container you can keep using it. Containers must have one handle and a detachable lid. Examples of acceptable containers. The standards for containers have been in place for over a decade to ensure the health and safety of collectors and to allow for flexibility based on the sizes of bins available.? Each operator lifts between 7 and 10 tonnes of waste every single day and we do not have manual lifts on our collection vehicles.

How is the three-item garbage limit fair for large families?

Every household pays the same annual fees for waste collection. This means for example an individual living alone is paying the same as a family of six.

The new three-item limit entitles each household to set out up to three items, which can be any combination of garbage bags, garbage containers up to 140 litres or bulky items like a broken piece of furniture. Households that wish to set out more can purchase residential yellow bags.

The three-item garbage limit was put in place to help reduce unnecessary waste going to landfill and to distribute costs more fairly dependent on the amount of waste produced. 

What if my household has diapers and home healthcare waste?                                                                                                                 

The Special Considerations program allows registered households to place one bag of  diapers/incontinence products or home healthcare waste at the curb for pick up on the alternate week from regular garbage collection. Register for the Special Considerations program.

What if I have waste over the three-item garbage limit?

If you need to go above the three-item garbage limit, City of Ottawa residential yellow bags can be purchased from participating retailers for $17.60 for a package of four. There is no limit to the number of yellow bags that you can set out for collection. Yellow Bags will be available for purchase at the end of October 2024 at a number of retail locations and City facilities across the city. The locations will be shared when bags are available for sale at the end of October.

Excess waste can also be taken to the Trail Road Waste Facility Landfill. The minimum fee for disposing of garbage is $35.

Remember, there is no limit to blue, black or green bins or leaf and yard waste so make sure you are recycling or composting as much as possible. Check out the Waste Explorer for more information on where to dispose of items if your not sure.

I put my waste in a shared collection area with other households. How will it work for me?

The three-item garbage limit applies to all residents with curbside waste collection, including those who use shared collection areas also known as common pads. Each unit can set out up to three garbage items on collection day.

I live in or operate a coach home or basement apartment. How will it work for me?

Single family homes with basement apartments or a coach home can set out up to three items per entire household every two weeks. This is because single family homes with a basement apartment or coach home pay one solid waste user fee. If you are unsure if your home is considered a single-family home with a basement unit or a registered duplex, you can contact the City’s Revenue Services team by calling 3-1-1.

I live in an apartment or condo. Does the limit apply to me?

If your property receives curbside waste collection, then the three-item garbage limit applies. Each individual unit can set out three items for collection on their scheduled garbage collection day.

The three-item garbage limit does not apply to multi-unit properties that do not receive curbside waste collection.

How will the three-item limit be enforced?

Enforcement of the new three-item garbage limit will be phased in over the next three months as follows:
October – all garbage items will be collected. If the three-item garbage limit is exceeded a courtesy tag will be left indicating the limit and how to participate in waste diversion programs.
November – if the three-item garbage limit is exceeded, one item will be left behind with a courtesy tag.  
December – any garbage above the three-item limit will be left at the curb with a courtesy tag.

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