City of Ottawa says waste collection days are changing starting March 30

Garbage and recycling sits at the end of a driveway on collection day in Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa)

The City of Ottawa says the day you take your garbage, organic waste, and recycling to the curb could change this spring because a new curbside collection contract is coming into effect.

The changes will begin March 30.

“All your waste including garbage, organics, leaf and yard waste, and recycling will still be picked up on the same day but about half of Ottawa households will have a new collection day,” the city says.

The frequency of garbage, green bin, leaf and yard waste, and recycling collection is not changing. The city says a letter will be sent to all residents who receive curbside collection to let them know about the changes to their collection schedule.

You can see if your collection date will change in advance by visiting the city’s online collection calendar, or by downloading the Ottawa Waste Collection Calendar app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

The city adds that there is no curbside collection on either Good Friday, April 3, or Easter Monday, April 6.

“Pick-up will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week. As a result, your collection day for the week following Easter Monday may not be your new collection day going forward,” the city says.

Another notable change coming to curbside collection will require leaf and yard waste to be set out separately from the green bin, in a reusable container labelled “leaf and yard waste” or in brown paper bags.

“As part of the transition to the new collection schedule, some households may experience two weeks of the same waste stream being collected. To accommodate this disruption, all residents may place up to six garbage items at the curb on your scheduled garbage collection day between March 30 and April 24,” the city says.

The new collection contract was approved by city council in September 2023.

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