Region plans to make trash trendy in high-profile campaign

Get ready for a new catchphrase, Niagara.

“Box it. Bin it. Sort it.” Residents will get a full-court press of the slogan in the coming months leading to Oct. 19, when Niagara Region switches curbside trash collection to every other week.

The blitz will include direct-mail postcards for every household in Niagara, social media and digital advertising, informational videos, animations, public service announcements, presentation materials for local schools and collection-vehicle advertisements.

Recycling and organics collection will stay on the same weekly schedule.

The changes in the fall coincide with a new seven-year waste collection contract with Green for Life (GFL Environmental Inc.) and Miller Waste Systems, who will replace out-going Emterra Environmental.

The campaign aims to get Niagara working together to extend the lifespan of regional landfill space by diverting materials that can be recycled or composted. Another goal is to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Using the blue and grey bins as well as the green organics bins properly will also reduce the impact on both the climate and the environment, said John Armstrong, of Armstrong Strategy Group, which was hired for the public relations rollout.

“Switching to picking up the black bags every two weeks will rankle some folks, so we will be promoting the rationale behind the changes,” he said. “We want to set the tone that the Region and the residents are partners in this program.”

Armstrong told the Region’s public works committee the campaign will build on three strategic messages: these changes are coming, it is worth the effort, and we all need to do our share.

“We are very upfront about the messaging that it is going to take some effort,” Armstrong said.

“We don’t want to pretend it isn’t. That’s why we are saying it straight up. The goal is to make people understand it, acknowledge it, agree with it and, of course, make an effort.”

The campaign is also an opportunity clear up some long-standing misconceptions, said Catherine Habermebl, the Region’s director of waste management services.

“A lot of people think that organic waste decomposes in a landfill and becomes soil,” she said. “It doesn’t. It breaks down and becomes methane gas, which is 20 times worse for the environment than carbon dioxide.

“Using your green bin keeps organic waste out of the landfill — it is worth the effort.”

Niagara sends more than half of its curbside waste to landfills. Waste audits by the Region show only 48 per cent of Niagara residents are using a green bin.

The numbers are even worse in Niagara’s industrial, commercial, institutional sectors and mixed-use properties. There, only 14 to 20 per cent are using green bins, according to Region statistics.

Also, a website and mobile app are in development and expected later this summer.

The app will allow users to identify their collection day, determine how to properly dispose of waste, provide an address-specific calendar and receive service alerts.

Region Chair Jim Bradley has watched recycling grow and change for decades. He was Ontario’s minister of the environment when the blue box program was introduced in the province in the 1980s.

“I know we can all do our part to keep even more waste out of the landfill,” Bradley said. “Other regions in Ontario that have switched to every-other-week garbage collection have seen the organics collection and use of green bins increase, and in one region there was an increase of 120 per cent.

“Waterloo, Peel, Ottawa, Halton and even Toronto have already switched to every-other-week collection. In fact, 70 per cent of municipalities similar to or larger than Niagara have switched.”