The city is getting set to kick opaque garbage bags to the curb.
Council committee voted Monday to change to a clear garbage bag program, effective Feb. 7, 2022. The decision will be up for ratification at next week’s council meeting.
If approved, Orillia will become the sixth known municipality in the province to implement such a policy, joining Dufferin County, Goderich, Guelph, Kawartha Lakes and Markham.
A staff report noted Markham has seen an 11 per cent increase in waste diversion since switching to clear bags.
There is “more tendency to participate in the program” because people don’t typically want their neighbours knowing they’re not recycling, said Greg Preston, Orillia’s manager of environmental services.
The main concern the city has heard about a move to clear bags relates to residents’ privacy, he said. Residents would be able to use up to two small “privacy bags, like a regular-sized shopping bag,” Preston’s report noted, “and would still be able to set out garbage loose in a rigid container.” If that container is lined, it will have to be lined with a clear plastic bag.
He also noted in his report there is no intention of sending “garbage police” to enforce diversion.
“The city does not have the resources for this. The measure is meant to educate residents on the city’s recycling and green bin organics collection programs should they not be found to be participating in these diversion programs. There would still not be a set fine for setting out recycling/compostable materials mixed in the garbage bag — the garbage would just be left behind.”
Coun. Jay Fallis is the council representative on the city’s waste management advisory committee. He asked that the report be sent back to the committee for feedback, that an academic with expertise in the area be consulted and that a representative from a municipality that has a similar policy in place be contacted for information.
His request was shot down by his colleagues.
“It would be an insult to staff to bring somebody from outside,” Coun. Ralph Cipolla said, adding there’s enough expertise among city staff.
Switching to clear bags “is the right decision,” Coun. Mason Ainsworth said, noting it’s good for the environment but will also save money.
“The less waste we put in our landfill means that we have our landfill open for a longer period of time,” he added.
Preston said waiting until February 2022 to implement the policy will give retailers time to stock up on clear plastic garbage bags and will allow residents time to prepare for the change.
In his report, Preston listed the following benefits of using clear plastic bags:
- Increased diversion of recyclables and green bin organics from the waste stream
through curbside collection. Based on the experiences of other municipalities, the city could easily reach its 70 per cent waste diversion goal by implementing a clear garbage bag program. - The program would conserve valuable landfill space and extend the life of the landfill at least two years or more based on current fill rates.
- The program would offer increased worker safety by enabling the garbage collectors to see the contents of the bags and avoid hazardous items (i.e. sharp glass, needles, etc.).
- The program would greatly assist with the removal of hazardous waste items (i.e. batteries, paint, pharma, oil, etc.) from the waste stream.
