Montreal resuming trash collection after heavy snow

After Montreal's snow-clearing operation comes trash collection. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV)

Montreal’s garbage collection is picking back up on Monday after being put on pause for snow removal.

Two back-to-back snowstorms dumped a historic 74 centimetres of snow on the city, leaving mountains of snow and overflowing trash cans on streets and sidewalks.

The city said in a news release that snow removal is its top priority to allow a return to normal. It anticipates some challenges collecting trash in areas that haven’t been cleared out, but city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said on Friday “we will do the impossible if we have to.”

Residents can check the city’s website for their borough’s collection schedule.

• Read more: Montreal says it needs 10 more days to clear snow

As of Saturday, the city said about 48 per cent of snow-loading operations were complete, though it varies greatly by borough.

City workers took rotating 24-hour breaks over the weekend after reaching the maximum number of working hours last week. The city says all operations will resume in full-force Monday.

“Residents are asked to keep an eye on the news and to take simple steps to speed up operations, starting with respecting parking bans, as towing slows down the work of our teams,” the city said in a news release.

“By clearing pavements of clutter and leaving garbage bags and bins on your property, you are helping to make operations faster and more efficient.”