City council is expected to vote on a staff proposal next week that will see curbside garbage pick-up limited to an average of two bags every two weeks by the spring of 2024.

Under the plan, each household would be given 55 garbage bag tags to be used at their own discretion over the course of a year. Once they run out, they will have to purchase extra tags at $3 per tag.

Tags can be used on a single bag of garbage, large items such as a mattress or a sofa and garbage bins up to 33lbs.

The plan has raised a great deal of controversy because it does not differentiate between a small household and a large one. A family of five would get the same 55 tags as a couple living on their own.

The rationale provided by staff is that beyond a certain threshold, garbage should be treated like a utility, such as water, where households pay in proportion to how much they use the service.

That thinking does not sit well with Orléans West-Innes councillor Laura Dudas who believes that tagging all garbage is an unnecessary burden on residents. She would prefer a program that allows residents to put out a reasonable number of garbage bags or cans, with tags only required for garbage above that limit, or for large items.

As well, Dudas believes the City must make allowances for larger families, or those with medical needs that produce a greater amount of unavoidable garbage. She also wants the City to make it easier to recycle by offering more than one green/blue/black bin for residents.

The city is moving in the direction of a bag tag program to further limit the amount of trash that is ending up in the city’s Trail Road landfill site which at the current rate could reach full capacity in 13-15 years. Staff estimate the bag tag program could
extend the lifespan of the site by two years.

One of the biggest arguments against the program is that it will result in illegal dumping in rural areas. But staff are suggesting the city hire four full-time inspectors to
discourage illegal dumping and fine anyone who does.

Another possible way to encourage residents to recycle more is to ban opaque bags in favour of transparent ones. That idea was expected to come up for discussion at the environment and climate change committee meeting on June 5. City council will debate the bag tag proposal on June 14.

The bag tag program would be part of a much larger Solid Waste Master Plan that is being developed for debate and eventual adoption next fall.