Ottawa to begin enforcement of new 3-item garbage limit in November

A worker rides on the back of a waste collection vehicle in Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa)

The City of Ottawa is set to ramp up enforcement of the new three-item garbage limit in November.

Ottawa implemented the new three-item limit on all households that receive curbside waste pickup on September 30, with the goal of extending the life of the Trail Road Waste Facility.

In October, all garbage left at the curb was collected, with staff leaving a “custom non-compliance tag” on any garbage bins or items over the three-item limit indicating the limit had been exceeded.

Starting Nov. 4, if the three-item limit is exceeded, one item will be left behind with a courtesy tag explaining the new limit and why the item was left. Any garbage over the three-item limit must be placed in a yellow bag for staff to pick it up. Yellow bags are now available for purchase at Client Service Centres, select recreation community centres and Home Hardware stores.

Starting in December, any garbage above the three-item limit will be left at the curb.

In the first two weeks of the three-item limit, the city said less than two per cent of households exceeded the three-item limit.

For the week of Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, 1.81 per cent of the 151,185 households exceeded the three-item limit, while 1.04 per cent of the 155,676 households exceeded the limit for the week of Oct. 7 to Oct. 11.

“A reminder that if a bin over the 140L limit is used for garbage set-out, or if properties set out an amount over the three-item garbage limit, Solid Waste staff will leave a courtesy tag to explain why waste was not collected,” Shelley McDonald, Director of Solid Waste Services, said in a statement.

“Courtesy tags have been used to educate residents on waste disposal allowances in the past, and will continue to be used moving forward to support residents in adapting to this policy change.”

Yellow bags

Starting in November, any garbage over the three-item limit must be placed in a yellow bag.

Yellow bags will be sold in packages of four for $17.60.

“There is no limit to the number of yellow bags that can be purchased and set out on garbage day,” the city says.

The city says large bulky items and furniture cannot be bagged.

Here is the list where yellow bags are available:

Ottawa’s Client Service Centre locations during business hours.

Retailers

Recreation and Community Centres