Iroquois Falls residents frustrated over garbage issue

Iroquois Falls garbage issue VIDEO: CTV Northern Ontario's Sergio Arangio looks at why some Iroquois Falls residents are frustrated with their garbage service

Residents of Iroquois Falls are making a stink over garbage collection rules now being enforced by the town.

Whereas folks used to leave their trash bags in secure bins on their lawns or the end of their driveways, the town released a notice on May 24 stating all garbage must be brought as close to the road as possible.

"Receptacles in personal storage bins must be removed and brought to the curb," the notice said.

But residents are worried that leaving their garbage bags exposed will attract wildlife, which will get into their trash, creating a mess that will be dismissed by the waste disposal service.

Community members aired their frustrations online.

"If I leave the garbage on the side of the road, it will be ripped to shreds by the bears and be all over the road," said one frustrated resident, who detailed experiences of her garbage bags being torn apart and not picked up by waste management services after picking up the mess and putting the new bag in her bin.

Joel Cyr is the director of public works for the Town of Iroquois Falls. He tells CTV News that the rules have not changed, the town is just enforcing the bylaws that are already in place.

Cyr says that garbage cans are still allowed, it is just the storage bins that are presenting a health and safety hazard for the waste collection operators.

He says the industry as a whole is seeing a trend in repetitive motion injuries.