Waterloo Region seeing ‘great results’ with new waste collection rules
WATERLOO REGION — Waterloo Region isn’t ready for the targeted educational efforts around waste sorting now underway in Guelph.
Here the focus is on simply getting more residents to start using or return to using the green bin.
“We’re still dealing with what’s essentially low-hanging fruit,” said Cari Rastas Howard, waste management program manager for the region.
“They’re looking at how do we pick away at what’s left.”
City of Guelph staff will be going through residents’ waste to evaluate how well it’s sorted into organics, recycling and garbage.
The curbside audit of more than 5,000 randomly selected homes started this week and will continue over the next few months.
The homes will receive an information package, along with a checklist that shows how they can improve their sorting. Staff will make multiple visits to each home to track progress.
This year’s campaign follows the successful pilot project in Guelph last year, which focused on waste sorting on two randomly selected Guelph streets. About 15 per cent of homes increased their blue bin sorting from an initial rating of “some sorting” to “great sorting” effort.
“They’ve always been a little more proactive in really looking at what people are doing,” Rastas Howard said. “Their diversion programs are a little ahead of where we are in Waterloo Region.”
Guelph, which doesn’t have a landfill, has been diverting organics and recyclables for many years. Green bins have been available in this region since 2010, but use was low until new waste collection rules came into effect in early March.
Garbage is now picked up alternate weeks, while recycling and green bins are picked up at the curb every week. The changes standardized services across the region.
That collection schedule was based on an audit that found only about one-third of the contents of garbage bags were actual garbage and most of the rest could go in the green bin. Meanwhile, the landfill’s projected life was shrinking.
In the first month of the new collection schedule, green bin use increased by about 50 per cent. In April, tonnage was twice as much as the previous April.
“It’s extremely exciting,” Rastas Howard said.
The challenge now will be to ensure people continue using their green bin, especially in the hot summer months when problems such as fruit flies can occur.
“We have lots of tips and tricks available on our website,” Rastas Howard said. “We want to help people find ways to make it work.”
While people are asked to fill their recycling bins before putting them out at the curb, that’s not the case for the green bin. People who go away are encouraged to enlist a neighbour to make sure it goes out for collection.
“With the green bin whether it’s full or not, you really want that stuff to go away every week,” she said.
Recycling is up slightly with the new schedule. A big change wasn’t expected in that area as residents were already good with separating recyclable items. Green bin use was the key focus, and the region is seeing “great results.”
“We’re seeing that desired effect,” Rastas Howard said.