Thousands of items left at the curb for exceeding Ottawa’s 3-item garbage limit

A City of Ottawa employee loads garbage and recycling into a waste collection truck in Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa)

The City of Ottawa’s new three-item garbage limit has resulted in a “notable reduction in waste” heading to the Trail Road Landfill, but thousands of items have been tagged and left sitting at the curb due to exceeding the limit, according to a new report.

As of Sept. 30, 2024, households are limited to a maximum of three items of garbage every two weeks, with yellow bags required for any items over the three-item limit. The three-item limit applies to approximately 310,000 households receiving curbside waste collection.

The City of Ottawa also instituted a rule that garbage containers do not exceed 140 litres in capacity and have a removable, not hinged, lid.

Statistics provided to CTV News Ottawa show Ottawa residents sent 102,882 tonnes of garbage to Ottawa’s landfill between October 2024 and September 2025, down from 125,682 tonnes of garbage between October 2023 and September 2024.

“The first year of the three-item garbage limit rollout has been successful, with residents largely adapting to the new policy,” staff said in a report for the Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting on Oct. 21.

The Solid Waste Master Plan shows garbage tonnage sent to the landfill decreased by 15,000 tonnes in January-August 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

“The drop in tonnages from January to August in 2025 compared to the previous year may be partly attributed to compliance with the new garbage limit,” staff said.

“It is important to note that other factors, such as reduced consumption patterns influenced by economic conditions, also contribute to changes in waste generation rates.”

According to the report, fewer than one per cent of households exceed the three-item garbage limit during the collection cycles, and less than one per cent of households have received a courtesy tag for setting out oversized garbage containers.

Courtesy Tags for excessive garbage

Thousands of courtesy tags have been placed on items exceeding the three-item limit since the launch of the new rules in September 2024. Any item over the three-item limit and not having a yellow bag will be left at the curb.

Solid Waste Services places courtesy tags on excess waste and improper bin sizing to notify residents of compliance issues.

Staff say approximately 67,500 tags have been issued for exceeding the three-item waste limit over the past year.

So far in 2025, 16,300 tags were issued between January-March for exceeding the three-item limit, 23,100 tags between April and June and 13,500 tags between July and September.

“The increase in excess waste tags during Q2 was likely influenced by seasonal factors such as spring cleaning and student move-out periods,” staff said in the report. “In Q3 2025, a decrease in excess waste tags was observed—a positive trend that will continue to be monitored as the policy enters its second year.”

Approximately 14,500 courtesy tags have been issued to address the size of garbage bins exceeding 140 litres.

Staff say there were 11,800 tags issued between April and September as the city began enforcement of the bin size requirements.

“This will be closely tracked in the coming months to determine whether ongoing promotion, education, and tagging efforts are effectively supporting resident compliance,” staff said, noting enforcement of the bin size limit began on May 2.

“If downward trends are not observed, Staff will consider enhancing or adjusting support measures to facilitate further adaptation.”

Curbside garbage

The City of Ottawa report shows how much waste was placed at the curb between January and August:

• 2025: 67,785 tonnes
• 2024: 83,847 tonnes
• 2023: 84,815 tonnes
• 2022: 89,073 tonnes

Green bins in apartments

The City of Ottawa has seen a spike in organic waste collected from apartment and condominium buildings as the city expands the Green Bin program.

As of September 30, 69 per cent of multi-residential buildings receiving city service now have a green bin program. The report says 1,625 properties now have a Green Bin program, and 345 properties have received green bins since the mandatory organic waste program began in October 2024.

Staff say 1,396 tonnes of organic material were collected from multi-residential buildings between January and July, up 36 per cent over the same period in 2024.