Regional staff say no to clear bag policy
Report says with pending changes to provincial rules, now isn't the time to alter how region collects its garbage
Echoing a conclusion made three years ago, Durham staff have said that it isn’t worth switching the region over to a clear bag policy, which could help get green waste and recyclables out of the waste stream. According to a report that will be presented at the May 3 committee of the whole meeting, staff say now is not the time due to pending changes to provincial legislation.
By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express
Durham staff say a move to clear garbage bags is not in the cards for the region.
According to a report to be presented at the May 3 meeting of the committee of the whole, staff conclude that there is not enough information available to support making such a move, echoing the conclusion made the last time such a move was considered, back in 2014.
Under a clear bag policy, residents would do away with the traditional black garbage bag and put their waste in transparent ones. The intent of such a program is that waste workers would be able to see if items that shouldn’t be there, such as recyclables or compost, and possibly leave them behind.
Another complicating factor, according to the report, is the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act (RRCEA), passed by the province in 2016, and possible changes coming to the world of waste management as a result.
Under the RRCEA, recycling targets may transfer from municipalities to those who make the packaging in the first place, with the intent of ensuring their products can be more easily recycled as opposed to being thrown away.
The idea of implementing a clear bag policy in Durham Region has bee discussed for nearly a decade.
In early 2009, the Region of Durham conducted a three-month pilot study into a clear bag policy for its waste for approximately 1,500 homes in Pickering and Clarington.
According to a report presented to the works committee in June 2009, the program, if extrapolated region-wide, could increase the diversion rate by three per cent, or the equivalent of 4,700 tonnes of blue box materials and kitchen waste.
However, the report also notes that, due to the downturn in the economy at the time, “most municipalities have observed overall waste generation rates decreasing. Therefore, due to the timing of the clear bags pilot study, the tonnage and diversion rate results from this pilot may not represent typical conditions.”
In its conclusion, the report recommends that a clear bag policy should only be implemented after a “successful plastic film diversion program with a lead time of one to two years required to notify all stakeholders and to accommodate a resident and retailer transition to clear bags prior to the program launch.”
Several municipalities have made the switch to clear garbage bags in an effort to keep recyclable material out of the waste stream, such as Dufferin County and Tweed.
The City of Kawartha Lakes is the latest to switch to a clear bag policy, making the change at the beginning of 2017. As with other municipalities, the change was made with the intent of keeping recyclable materials out of the waste stream. Under the city’s policy, garbage not in clear bags or those that contain more than 20 per cent recyclable material will no longer be collected.