Grappling with garbage: Residents sort through new collection schedule that kicks in Monday

New garbage pickup schedules rolled out Monday, with many people unsure when to put their bins to the curb. CTV’s Leah Larocque reports.

Take a drive down Montfort Street in Vanier and you might think it’s garbage day.

It’s not.

“I’m on the Vanier Neighbours group on Facebook and it’s been like 12,000 people asking — is it garbage day? What are we supposed to be putting out?” said resident Alexandra Wishart.

As of March 30, roughly half of Ottawa households have new garbage, recycling and green bin pickup days under a new contract. In much of the Vanier neighbourhood, collection day is moving from Monday to Wednesday.

• Some Ottawa households won’t have garbage collection this week as city implements new calendar

But across the neighbourhood, bins line the curb on the wrong day — a visible sign of confusion.

“Oh, you mean the actual day? No, I didn’t know that” one resident said.

“I ended up having to bring the garbage all the way back in,” said another.

The shift between old and new schedules means certain households are experiencing a one-time gap in service, with no pickup during the transition period.

The city says about 80,000 households may see longer than usual breaks between pickups, with some neighbourhoods facing up to 26 days without collection.

“Well, we’re going to have a trashy Easter,” joked resident Mimi Violette.

The rollout also coincides with the Easter long weekend — further complicating schedules.

City officials say they’ve tried to spread the word through pamphlets, videos and outreach from councillors.

There will be no collection on Good Friday or Easter Monday, with pickup pushed back by a day for the rest of those weeks.

For residents already navigating new pickup days, the added “push days” are creating even more uncertainty.

In the Golden Triangle, Monday is now the new garbage day — a big shift for longtime residents like Chris Moore.

“I’ve lived in this neighbourhood since 1981 and it’s always been Wednesday morning,” he said. “So, for 45 years, this is the first time I’ve done this on a Monday.”

To ease the transition, the city is allowing residents to put out up to six garbage items on collection day — double the usual limit — between March 30 and late April.

Officials say the disruption is temporary.

“There’s this transition period that’s always difficult,” says Kanata-South Coun. Allan Hubley. “But once we get through it, it’ll be back to a regular rhythm.”

Hubley says councillors are here to help residents.

“For my residents, all they have to do is call my office. My staff are fully aware of what the changes are and for each area and they can help them with that. Elsewhere in the city, I’m sure other councillors are in the same boat, that they could help their residents sort through this transition period,” Hubley said.

In a statement to CTV News, Andrea Gay Farley, the City of Ottawa’s program manager for waste collections, programs and customer service says, “A letter has been sent to all households receiving curbside collection outlining how to view their new schedule and what to expect. To help accommodate this transition, residents may place up to six garbage items at the curb on their scheduled garbage collection day between March 30 and April 24, without the need to purchase yellow bags.”

“We will offer a one-time opportunity for these residents in those impacted areas to drop off one bag of garbage at a designated location within their neighbourhood.”

The city says more details, including location and time, are available online and has been shared with the impacted councillors to inform residents of eligible homes.

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