Ottawa city council has decided against biweekly garbage collection for at least the next four years, even after the green bin program is introduced next year.
Some councillors called the plan a major reduction in a basic city service.
Gloucester-Southgate Councillor Diane Deans tried for a compromise by pushing twice-a-month garbage pickup during winter months only. The motion was defeated.
Weekly collection would have remained in place during hotter months, Dean said earleir this week, citing an estimated $1 million in savings.
City staff had recommended biweekly collection be implemented by 2010, six months after the green bin program is introduced in the fall of 2009.
Council is also considering a program where registered parents would have their diapers collected once a week to avoid an unwanted stench around the house. The diapers would still end up in the landfill, like they do now.
Once the green bins get distributed city-wide next fall, the project will have been in the works for five years.
