Valerie Kilpatrick is talking a lot of trash –about her green bin.
“In the winter, I’ve got an overload,” she said, referring to the bi-weekly collection this time of year.
So to avoid sending it to the landfill, she’s storing food waste in the freezer.
“And I’ve barely got room in the freezer so that’s not very convenient,” Kilpatrick said at Carlingwood Mall Saturday, where the city was gathering feedback from residents on proposed changes to solid waste.
In most areas, garbage is collected weekly.
There’s a possibility of going curbside every other week.
While the green bin is already picked up weekly in spring, summer and fall, it currently switches to alternate weeks during winter.
“People are talking about the need to collect the ‘smelly garbage’ every week. But then when they think about it, well actually most of that is in the green bin,” said Coun. Rick Chiarelli about the feedback he’s been getting.
If the same service level is maintained, either garbage or green bins will be collected bi-weekly.
That’s why the city is polling residents, whom Chiarelli said will ultimately decide.
“So they have to make that call, which one is it going to be?,” he said.
Kilpatrick knows what she wants
“There’s not very much garbage. Certainly every two weeks is more than enough for me,” she said.
Nepean resident Michael Issa agrees.
He said most of his waste goes into the green bin and recycling boxes.
“So there’s hardly anything in the bag. Mind you, there’s only two [people] in the house,” Issa said.
Meanwhile, blue and black box pickup could increase to once a week.
And the boxes may become interchangeable, which means no more separating plastic, metal, and glass from paper.
“The all-in-one bin will be nice,” said Yves Brisebois, the “garbage gestapo” in his family of three.
The average Canadian generates 2.7 kg of waste every day.
City recycling programs aim to divert a third of all residential waste from landfills.
“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on the green bin program, which is really, really encouraging,” said Jennifer Martin, a customer services clerk with the city’s solid waste department.
The city’s next public consultation takes place Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Herongate Mall.
They’re back at it again next Sat. Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bayshore Mall.
kelly.roche@sunmedia.ca
Kelly Roche - Storyteller 