Why Limiting the Amount of Garbage you are allowed to Put Out might be Wrong
Some cities across Canada, including most recently Gatineau, Quebec, are toying with the idea of imposing limits on what is allowed in garbage and what is not. Though this might seem like an interesting way to curb garbage amounts in major cities, this still leaves residents with a huge problem – where they are supposed to put the garbage that municipal garbage collection won’t take.
There is a lot that can be said about some of the garbage rules and restrictions out there. For example, beginning this summer, Gatineau will be limiting waste disposal to 120 litres bi-weekly and is prepared to fine households who exceed this limit. The intention to this rule is to encourage households to educate themselves on composting and recycling, ensuring that opportunities to recycle are used.
Some households though, especially those with large families, are producing significant amounts of waste. When one includes the long list of apartment buildings in the City, this also poses a problem as it pertains to how one should off-load additional amounts.
Why limiting the amount of garbage a resident is allowed to put out might be right is that it could potentially lead to more education on recycling in the long-term. Why it might be a bad idea however is that, short-term, it is going to anger some households and secondly, it does not necessarily address the issue. To penalize households who are producing large amounts of waste might not be fair to them, particularly those that accommodate excessive large families, or that have four or five roommates living together.
It also goes to say that in some cases, some cities have not made garbage disposal or recycling an easy process. There have been routine complaints of garbage collection pamphlets and literature being difficult to interpret, and regularly, cross-contamination is present. That has meant, for cities like Gatineau, having thousands of tonnes of waste being dumped into landfills every year. Yes, something needs to change however whether this is it or not remains to be seen.
For apartment buildings and condo complexes, composting options are not available. How a city like Gatineau is expected to regulate garbage collection here is unclear. The implementation of recycling bins and garbage separation bins has been done with some success however cross-contamination is still a major problem that waste limits do not address. As more dwellings end up having to pay fines or end up stuck with their waste, there also exists the potential of increases in littering.
As the Gatineau experiment is allowed to proceed, perhaps everything will go according to how the City government have planned it and potentially, limiting the amount of garbage a resident is allowed to put out will be a smart idea. The City has committed to reducing the waste it puts into its landfills by 45 percent according to 2016 numbers within the next three years. So the pressure is on. There are numerous additional issues that need to be examined here however including waste management and garbage separation education, cross-contamination in recycling, and more.
If you are a commercial enterprise or property seeking ways to reduce your waste output, seeking better ways to manage your waste, and/or who would like to implement a stronger waste management system, please get in touch with Core Mini Bins today. Core Mini Bins continues to be a leading name in Toronto waste management, dumpster rentals, bin rentals, and recycling collection.
