Ottawa council dumps proposed garbage bag tags in favour of three-bin limit

Ottawa city council trashed the idea of proposed bag tags for household garbage Wednesday, voting instead to place a hard cap on the amount of waste residents can place at the curb.

Council voted to limit households to three garbage bins every two weeks. Residents will also not need to use or pay for any bag tags for extra garbage.

The proposed 'bag tag' program had been introduced by city staff as a way to increase waste diversion rates and extend the life of the Trail Road Landfill. But both city councillors and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said many residents raised concerns about the proposal.

On Wednesday, city councillor Sean Devine introduced a ‘bag tag' motion, which included a two container limit and charging homeowners for any extra tags. That motion failed by a vote of 10-14.

According to city staff, 85 per cent of residents put out three containers or less of garbage. About three quarters put out two bags or less. Staff say a three container limit would divert less waste from the landfill than the failed bag and tag proposal.

ENFORCEMENT OF NEW LIMITS

City staff say enforcement of the new limits will be gradual with a heavy emphasis on education, followed by garbage collectors placing a notice sticker on extra bags. Eventually, anything other than three garbage containers would not be collected.

City staff have budgeted for two more enforcement officers as well as working with bylaw and road services, council heard.

Staff were also asked to look at expanding a yellow bag program that already exists for small businesses that have extra garbage. Right now, business can purchase extra yellow garbage bags for a cost of $4.50. Councillors want a similar program to be used for residential purposes if a household needs to throw out large quantities.

The changes are expected to come into effect in 2024. Staff say approximately 58 per cent of what residents are placing at the curb could be diverted from the landfill through the city's recycling or green bin programs.

Council will also be discussing medium and longer-term actions to deal with Ottawa's garbage through the Solid Waste Master Plan update during this term of council.  

The cost of a new landfill ranges between $300 million and $450 million, and could take up to 15 years to be fully operational. Council has also directed staff to bring forward a report looking at technologies to deal with Ottawa's garbage, including waste-to-energy incineration.