Without any debate, City Council has approved a three-item limit for garbage collection.
The policy will come into effect on Sept. 30, creating the new maximum amount of items which can be set out for curbside waste collection. Council had voted in June 2023 to implement such a plan to ease the impact on the Trail Road Landfill.
The City of Ottawa defines items as:
- a plastic waste bag
- a bin with a maximum capacity of up to 140 litres. Households can put several waste bags in a bin as long as the weight is less than 33 pounds (15 kg) per bin.
- Furniture or a bulky item that can’t be re-used or donated
The new rules allow for various combinations of such items, such as two bins and one furniture item, three bags or three bins filled with trash that don’t exceed weight limits.
There are no changes for recycling items, green bin, or paper bag compostable items.
Alongside the three-item limit comes the Yellow Bag Program, whereby residents can purchase extra bags to set out for collection, of which there is no limit for weekly collection. The city says these bags can be purchased in packs of four for $17.60.
The stamp of approval from council comes after the plans were approved by the city’s environment and climate change committee.
Ottawa had previously had a six-item limit on garbage items for collection since 2007.
