Consultation on curbside garbage collection options

As a community, we can divert more waste from the landfill, reduce emissions that contribute to climate change and turn more waste into new products and resources.

The City of Ottawa is engaging on options for the Solid Waste Master Plan, and curbside garbage collection is up first. Between now and September 12, we want your input on three options to divert more garbage:

Partial pay-as-you throw: Households would be allowed to place a set number of garbage items out for collection. Households with more than this limit would purchase garbage tags for each additional item. Recycling, organics, and leaf and yard waste would still be picked up without any tags and with no limits.

Reduced item limits: Households would set out a reduced number of garbage items for collection. Anything above the limit would not be collected.
Clear garbage bags with recycling and organics bans: Households would set out their garbage in clear bags. Recyclables and organic waste would not be permitted in the garbage.

Visit ottawa.ca/wasteplan to have your say and be part of the solution. You can share your thoughts by completing a survey or participating in one of our online workshops.

Feedback from this engagement series will be used to help select a new curbside garbage collection option for Ottawa. It will also feed into the ongoing development of the Solid Waste Master Plan – a guide for how garbage, recycling and household organics will be managed for the next 30 years.

The next Solid Waste Master Plan engagement series will take place in the fall, when you will be asked to share your thoughts on a wide range of options, such as more ideas to encourage diversion of waste from landfill, ways to reduce and reuse, improving waste collection in multi-residential buildings and parks, better management of food and organics, and much more. Your feedback will help create a waste management system we can all feel good about – one that serves your needs while working towards a zero waste Ottawa to protect the environment for future generations.

Council will consider a recommended option for curbside garbage collection in the first quarter of 2022, and the draft Solid Waste Master Plan in the second quarter.