Bi-weekly garbage pick up now has a 3-bag limit in Waterloo region
The region's new rule aims to divert waste heading to the landfill and encourage recycling
Residential bi-weekly garbage limits in Waterloo region drop from four to three bags starting Monday.
The region is trying to divert waste heading to the landfill site and wants to encourage recycling and green bin collection.
Dave Johnstone, manager of waste collection and diversion, said many people who put out four or more bags are not recycling. He said a regional audit showed that what's going in our landfill could be diverted through recycling programs.
"We actually did waste audits where we surveyed what people are putting out in their garbage bags, and we found that roughly 60 per cent of what's in the garbage could actually go in the green bin or the blue box," said Johnstone.
"It's not a fun job but it does gather some interesting information, and that's what we need to know, what's going in our landfill," he said.
Johnstone said most people in the region are already putting out three bags or less every two weeks.
But he knows that occasionally people need to put out an extra bag of garbage. Bag tags can be purchased on the region's website for $2.00 a piece.
Johnstone recommends people download the region's Waste Whiz app to help determine what is waste and what should be recycled.