Guelph residents can no longer put yard waste into their green organic waste bin, in preparation for bi-weekly yard waste collection to begin in the spring.
City council approved the change Monday. Bi-weekly yard waste collection between April and November was approved last month as part of the 2021 city budget.
“In the absence of a full season curbside yard waste program residents were permitted to ‘top up’ the green bin with yard waste,” said Cameron Walsh, the city’s manager of solid waste, in an email. “Separating yard waste from the organics stream maximizes the efficiency of both programs.”
Details are still to come about how bi-weekly yard waste collection will be rolled out, Walsh added.
However, the ability to put yard waste into green organic waste bins ended with council’s motion on Monday.
Bi-weekly service is intended to address “resident dissatisfaction” with the previous schedule of twice per year, explained a city staff report last fall, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of vehicles dropping yard waste off at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre at 110 Dunlop Dr.
It will also improve site logistics and safety at the centre, reclaim organic waste capacity and reduce the risk of interruption or odours associated with organic waste processing.
Curbside yard waste collections are not expected to add to the city’s waste collection budget, states the staff report. The cost has been integrated into the existing in-house operations.
Implementation of bi-weekly yard waste collection during the growing season is the final outstanding recommendation from the council-endorsed Solid Waste Service Review of 2018.
