With the two-month transition period now over, Ottawa residents looking to leave more than three items at the curb on garbage day must now purchase and use special yellow bags for their excess trash.
The city introduced the three-item limit in late September, but gave residents the last two months to grow accustomed to it.
The yellow bags cost $4.40 each or $17.60 for a pack of four, and are available at about 30 locations. Excess garbage must fit entirely in the yellow bag or it won’t be collected.
The new limit doesn’t apply to recycling or compost bins, provided they’re used properly.
Since Nov. 4, garbage collectors have been leaving one extra item behind with a tag on it explaining the new rules. Starting Monday, the city says everything over the three-bag limit will be left behind if the yellow bags aren’t used.
- What are you seeing in the first weeks of the new garbage limit? Please send us an email and a reporter may follow up.
City council voted in favour of dropping the limit from six items in June 2023 after a proposed bag-tagging system proved unpopular among residents.
According to data collected over the first three weeks of November, less than one per cent of the more than 150,000 that receive curbside pickup left more than three items.
There’s still some degree of wiggle room: The maximum bin size is now 140 litres, but residents have until May 2, 2025, to replace their oversized containers.
The city is working to reduce the amount of waste heading to the rapidly swelling Trail Road landfill and extend its lifespan. The city says more than half of the waste that ends up there could be reused, recycled or composted.