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Currently, most Ottawa taxpayers share the total costs of curbside household waste. However, this current sharing system does not directly reflect actual use of the service. Everything that is hidden in a black plastic bag as being “residual waste” is unnecessarily reducing the life of our municipally owned landfill. It hastens the need to replace this costly asset. There is now no tangible direct savings for individual households for being environmentally responsible in Ottawa.

Currently, most Ottawa taxpayers share the total costs of curbside household waste. However, this does not directly reflect actual use of the service.

Many other Ontario cities have better diversion rates than Ottawa. What is the reason?

Some municipalities require clear bags for their residual waste so that those with obvious recyclable materials can be left behind at the curb. Other municipalities have implemented a “pay-as-you-throw” (PAYT) or “tag-a-bag” system. There is a small per-bag fee, often only applied to bags above a reduced weekly limit. These fees can efficiently encourage people to reduce residual waste.

Residents in Gatineau use PAYT. So do Kingston and Belleville. Even Toronto does it, albeit by charging based on the size of the approved garbage bins used by residents. PAYT systems have not led to civilian unrest nor have their adjoining rural areas become dumping grounds for urban household waste. In most cities that introduce PAYT, there is a substantial reduction in the fees residents were paying for waste services that were simply collected with their property taxes.