Solid-coloured garbage bags being banned
Beginning on April 1, solidcoloured garbage bags will be rejected at the curb and transfer stations for waste collection in the municipalities of Argyle, Clare, Digby and Yarmouth and the towns of Digby and Yarmouth.
“While Waste Check adopted a clear bag program for garbage in 2007, the use of one solid-coloured bag per residence was previously allowed. However, after April 1, 2024, only clear bags with no colour will be accepted,” reads a media release.
Waste Check says the switch to only accepting clear bags reflects the importance of easily identifying hazards and ensuring that residents are sorting their waste properly.
“Clear transparent bags make a safer workspace for all the people involved in the collection and handling of our waste, while ensuring that everyone participates in our diversion programs,” says Gus
Green, general manager of Waste Check.
Waste Check says audits were conducted on the black bags being used, and some residents have been using them for unsorted waste – namely a combination of waste that could be recycled or placed in a clear bag.
“There are still individuals who are not participating in Waste Check's recycling and composting programs, and the use of clear bags makes it safer and simpler to inspect bags for banned materials,” the release states.
Starting on April 1, if a solid-coloured bag is used for garbage, a sticker indicating the problem will be placed on the bag and it will not be collected that week or accepted at the transfer station. When this happens, residents are required to remove the bag(s) from curbside and re-sort the contents of the bag if required – placing all garbage in a clear bag, recyclables in the two blue transparent bags (one for paper products and one for the other recyclables) and organics in a green cart.
The bags can then be placed for curbside collection on their next scheduled pick up or brought back to the transfer station.
For waste that is sensitive or private in nature, such as sanitary products, one nontransparent privacy bag that is no larger than 20 by 22 inches in each clear bag will be accepted.
For more information and to view the full sorting guide visit: www.wastecheck.com/ sorting.