Pay-As-You-Throw, clear bags, reduced container limits: all on the agenda when the city discusses waste collection this fall. I'm here.
Ah, the green trash can in the sun! No smell... In my house, summer usually means backyard barbecues and sweaty soccer shoes. Recently, a very fragrant smell wafted from our green bin after my son absentmindedly threw in some chicken scraps.While that sort of waste is usually put in the freezer first, he I forgot. Mistakes are made and old habits are hard to break.
Like my son, many people's garbage habits will soon change.
Did you know that one of the first items on the newly elected City Council's agenda this fall will be to decide whether to change waste collection to a new pay-as-you-go system? . Clear your bag or reduce your bag limit. It may also include a ban on recyclable organic matter.
All of these options are part of the Solid Waste Master Plan, a comprehensive plan focused on recycling and increasing green waste. why now Now we are faced with two problems.
First, the city's trail road landfill is almost full. It is scheduled to close in 2045, according to Waste Watch Ottawa. Second, it will cost him over $200 million to build a new waste disposal facility and will take 10 to 15 years. We throw away a lot of things that we can recycle or put in our green bins. In fact, 58% of household waste. The good news is that there is room for improvement. For every 1% increase in the waste diversion rate, the year the Trail Waste Facility remains open.
But change is often difficult. But if we all have to make this effort, it would be nice to be provided with evidence that it works and results in lasting change.
So, one of these options Let's be honest about the pros and cons of the Pay-As-You-Throw system that I personally experienced. In 2013, when I was living in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Swiss Supreme Court ordered the city and surrounding cantons to implement an approach to charge a fee directly per clear bag. This resulted in a 40% reduction in waste and a 20% increase in aluminum and organic waste recycling, a statistically sustainable effect after 3 years.
It was a difficult change. People were upset, barred from continuing to use black trash bags, and upset at the cost of hiring additional trash inspectors. These inspectors sifted through many trash bags dumped on boulevards, schoolyards, or parks, looking for scraps of paper bearing the names of offenders. It was a mess. Some Swiss, reluctant to pollute their communities, drove across the border and dumped their waste in France and Germany. I was warned not to throw away letterhead of any kind without first shredding it. Stories swirled of him being falsely accused of dumping thanks to a vindictive neighbor and a stolen piece of paper with his name on it.
A few months ago, the topic of illegal dumping was briefly discussed during a Solid Waste Master Plan presentation to a coalition of civil society in Ottawa. Later I asked how the plan would prevent illegal dumping if the new, lower household bag limit was chosen. , education, and a gradual enforcement approach. Halifax, like Switzerland, uses "reverse onus" for illegal dumping, with fines ranging from $500 to he $10,000, including cleanup.
I don't think anonymous and punitive systems are empathetic or effective when it comes to preventing illegal dumping. This is part of a behavior change theory method called the "carrot and stick" approach. Evaluations show that education-led behavior change programs only work well in situations that impact health, such as being told to wear a mask or contracting COVID. Therefore, it is often combined with reward or punishment.
I suggest that if the Solid Waste Master Plan tries a reward-based approach, it will be more successful in preventing dumping. What if the inspector gave a gift card to the person whose inspected trash was properly disposed of?
The time has come for us to work together and start solving our own waste problems. We hope the future will offer us new solutions to our trash, but in the meantime we need to recycle more and use more green trash.Clear the air, be honest and responsible. It's time to start talking about trash.
Granda Kopytko is running for College Ward on the Ottawa City Council.
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