The City of Laval is set to undergo a major change to its waste collection this spring. As of April 1, garbage pick-up will move from weekly to every two weeks, but there are already concerns. “The idea is obviously to encourage people to use their compost and the recycling more,” said Laval city councillor Ray Khalil. Garbage and recycling collection will alternate weeks, an initiative that is expected to save the city roughly $3 million per year. It also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Garbage does not disappear. Garbage goes into a big hole. And if we fill that hole very quickly we’re going to have to figure out somewhere else to put it,” said Khalil. Some residents are concerned about the change, said opposition city councillor David De Cotis. “People are upset because during the summer months, when this garbage that is just sitting out for weeks, it’s going to increase rodents, [reduce] order and just [create] complaints. It’s bad for the citizens of Laval and for the City of Laval,” he said. De Cotis is calling for a public consultation on the matter, but said Laval Mayor Stephane Boyer’s administration refused the request. “On social media, a lot of people are upset. They don’t feel that they’re being consulted. They feel like they’re being overtaxed and less services. And they’re right,” he said When Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve moved to biweekly garbage pickup, residents there complained about rat problems. “We saw rats, lots more bugs flying around and just a general stench of garbage when we walk down the street. Even on busy streets like Ontario where there are lots of bars and restaurants. It just sort of made the borough less attractive and less fun to be in,” said Jonathan Haiun, a spokesman for Ligue 33, a community group in eastern Montreal that advocates for quality-of-life issues. Laval said, however, it’s prepared for this transition. Compost collection will take place every week during the summer, and larger apartment buildings will still have weekly garbage pickup. “When we call other cities, they tell us, ‘Watch out for this, watch out for that.’ So those types of mistakes, we’ve avoided,” said Khalil. The city said it will be there to accompany residents and pointed out that many other cities in Greater Montreal have already made the transition.
