Weekly garbage pickup will end in 2020 for residents in Simcoe County.
According to a news release sent by the county this morning, there will be changes to the county’s curbside waste collection “to bring consistency and predictability back to pick-up schedules.”
The new schedule, beginning February 3, 2020, means garbage and recycling will be picked up every other week. Green bin collection will continue to occur weekly.
“Resolving the impacts to waste collections and restoring consistency and predictability to pick-up schedules are top priorities for County Council and our staff,” said Warden George Cornell in the press release. “We sincerely apologize for the delays that our residents have experienced for the last few months and these changes will assist our contractor with their staffing challenges by reducing the number of drivers required each day. This transition will also mitigate the need to increase our costs for alternate solutions, benefit the environment and help restore confidence that your waste materials will be collected on schedule.”
This change comes after several months of pick up days where crews have not collected all the curbside waste in local neighbourhoods. In some cases, the county hired another contractor to pick up what was left behind.
The current contractor, Waste Connections, cited labour shortages and extreme heat for the delays in the summer. Since then, the topic has come up often at the county council table with staff and councillors working to come up with solutions, which have included cancelling electronic waste collection days.
The county has been working on procuring a new contract, and announced previously it would go to a bi-weekly garbage and recycling collection schedule by 2021.
Today’s announcement indicates that will happen sooner.
For the week of Feb. 3-7, the county contractor will collect garbage and green bin organics only. The following week (Feb. 10-14), residents will receive recycling and green bin collection, according to the press release from the county.
Collections will alternate on this schedule moving forward. Collection days are not changing; however, collection times will be adjusted. Residents are reminded to have materials out to their curb by 7 a.m. on their regular collection day.
The following information was included in the county’s news release:
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What this means starting February 3, 2020:
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No change to your regular collection day. Collection times will change, so have your materials out by 7 a.m. on your collection day
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Green bin collection will continue to occur every week
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Garbage and recycling collection will alternate every other week (one week garbage, the next week recycling)
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Residents can set out two bags/containers of garbage every other week (weight and size restrictions still apply)
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Recycling no longer needs to be separated into different bins. Materials will be sorted later in the process
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Excess recyclables can be placed in bins, cardboard boxes or see-through plastic bags
In addition to restoring predictability to curbside waste collections, this change will help lead to long-term environmental benefits, encourage residents to positively adjust their waste habits, and control costs, since it:
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Encourages use of green bins and promotes increased diversion (40 per cent of the average garbage bag consists of items that should go in the green bin)
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Helps keep organic materials out of landfills and thereby extends the lifespan of landfills
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Encourages reduction of single-use plastics, cans and containers
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Lowers greenhouse gas emissions produced by collection vehicles by reducing the number of trucks on the road each day
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Helps control contractual costs
While many Ontario municipalities have already transitioned successfully to bi-weekly collection services, the County recognizes that this is a significant change for residents. To support this change, a voucher for a free Blue Bin will be mailed to County residents to help store recyclables. One voucher per household can be redeemed at County Waste Management Facilities until February 28, 2020, while quantities last.
Broad marketing and communication to residents will occur, including the annual waste calendar, which will be mailed to households in January. The best way to track your collection week is through the Simcoe County Collects App. You can also call 1-800-263-3199 to sign up for weekly phone reminders and alerts.
For full details about this change to curbside waste collections and why it is happening now, please visit simcoe.ca/collectionschange.
These changes do not apply to the cities of Barrie and Orillia.
County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit the website at simcoe.ca.
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