While some District councillors expressed concern about an impending switch to clear plastic garbage bags, they ultimately voted in favour of moving ahead with the program.
During this week’s District of Muskoka Engineering and Public Works committee meeting, councillors voted to move ahead with the program in principle.
Muskoka Lakes Mayor Peter Kelley said the District has done a poor job in explaining to the public why a change to clear plastic bags is required.
“The clear bag is a last resort…it should only be for continued non-compliance,” said Kelley.
Gravenhurst Mayor Heidi Lorenz said the District has done everything in its power to encourage change but has had limited success. The clear bag program has now become necessary.
“This is the last stop,” she said. “We have one of the worst diversion rates in the entire province.’
There was general approval for the clear bag program but there were also concerns about the availability of clear bags and the training required for waste collectors to implement the new system.
District staff advised that waste collectors will be trained in the new system and the allowable limits of certain materials in curbside garbage collection.
“Our intent is not to punish people by denying them having their garbage collected,” said Renee Recoskie, the director of waste management and environmental services for the District of Muskoka.
She said there have also already been high-level discussions with garbage bag manufacturers to ensure the supply chain is in place for clear plastic bags.
According to a staff report the transition is being proposed for several reasons.
One is worker health and safety, as clear bags help the collector identify potential hazards like broken glass needles or other sharp or combustible items.
Clear bags also serve as a reminder for people if they forget to separate materials that don’t belong in the garbage like recyclables, organics or hazardous waste.
Clear bags can also help with enforcing municipal material disposal bans by allowing waste collectors to monitor for compliance and reject any bags that contain those banned items, says Recoskie.
The biggest concern from the public appears to be surrounding the issue of privacy, she says.
“These concerns have been raised in most transitioning municipalities, where residents may be concerned with others being able to see what is in their garbage,” reads the report. “The most effective way to resolve and address these concerns is to allow for a small number of opaque privacy bags within the clear garbage bag and to allow residents to place their clear bag within a garbage can/bear bin.”
The initial approach for the District will be to allow two small opaque privacy bags (similar size to plastic grocery bags) and remain consistent with current collection practices (i.e., bag within garbage can, bear bin, etc.). It is also proposed that black bags continue to be accepted at District waste drop-off facilities in 2025, with a full transition to clear bags starting January 1, 2026.
In response to concerns over cost, Recoskie indicated both clear plastic and opaque plastic garbage bags are manufactured from the same type of plastic resin and dyes are added to colour bags. The suggested retail price between the two is similar.
She also indicated that waste diversion rates can increase by as much as 10% when the clear garbage bag program is initiated.
Some 40 Ontario municipalities have successfully implemented the clear bag program.
The initial launch of the clear bag program is proposed for the collection week starting March 3, 2025.
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Brandon Peek says
This is the dumbest decision I’ve seen this committee make. We have other very serious issues.jn the community that need to be addressed – and somehow this takes priority.
And by the way, the people who were placing incorrect items in the garbage will continue to do so – with opaque bags. So this move does absolutely nothing.
Bob Braan says
“allow two small opaque privacy bags (similar size to plastic grocery bags)”
Do these have to be put into a clear bag as well or will small opaque bags like this be picked up without double bagging like they are now?
Seems like a big environmental waste to double bag just so they are in a clear bag.
We usually only have one opaque bag of garbage a similar size to a plastic grocery bag.
The rest goes into recycling.
Karen Insley says
Karen Insley says
July 17, 2024 at 3:30 pm
three questions?
1. How many civil servants have been hired in the last 9 years and what would they be doing?
2. That environmental fee Canadians are charged on every bill, for purchased products, where is that going and what was that for again?
3. In the analysis of ‘this clear garbage strategy’ motion, has it completed a ‘climate footprint evaluation’ incurred by individual household’s storage, packaging and transport of hazardous waste to a distant depot with restricted hours?
(Note: 104 municipalities do regular garbage bags of which this district is still one)
*Produce the chart for all 144 municipalities please, let’s see how the clear vs -%10 future cost regular existing garbage compare, plus real diversion rates/criteria?
Margaret Brown says
Totally agree with Brandon Peek. And yes please, answer Karen Insley’s questions.
Allan Pastrak says
A very bad idea. Prepare for a lot of midnight drops of black garbage in parks, along lonely roads, behind buildings and other out of the way areas. Then, Prepare for animals to get into these bags and scavenger them for food. Then., who will clean up the messes left behind which will include pet litter and women’s hygiene products. People will rebel in this way – you can bet on it.
John Begin says
Will we be compensated for regular bags that we will have to waste. I have at least a hundred bags and put out garbage once a month. I should be able to bring the district these new bags and they replace them with clear bags. I think lots of people would see this as being fair.
John
Ruby Truax says
For me personally, it makes no difference. But I agree with Brandon’s comment above.
Here in Muskoka we’ve been recycling for decades now. The District gave us the blue bins for free. We’ve been composting for a few years now, and the District gave us the little countertop containers for free, and then later the green bins for pick-up, again for free. We can dispose of hazardous materials for free. So anyone who’s still putting recyclables, compostables, or hazardous materials into their garbage just doesn’t WANT to separate their materials. I don’t see any other reason.
As Brandon said, I don’t think the clear bag mandate is suddenly going to change the mindset of someone who hasn’t been interested after all these years and all this encouragement. They’ll probably continue as before, and when their garbage bags are rejected, they’ll either dump them in a business’s private dumpster or dump them alongside a rural road.
Meanwhile, many of us who have been doing our best all along feel uncomfortable with these clear bags, but our concerns are dismissed.
All things considered, I see a more negative than positive impact from this program.
Chas Clark says
If they are so concerned about recyclable and hazardous waste disposal, they need to open Madill waste site at least once a week for hazardous material instead of odd days during the year.
Allen Markle says
I agree with Ruby Truax. The color of the bag means diddley as long as the ‘good Tuesday’ folk pick it up and haul it away. We seldom have more than a couple of little kitchen catcher type bags of waste anyway. Where are these other people coming up with all the trash? Do you not prepare actual food? And the horror stories to boot.
Contract dumpers making black of night runs. Or being left with at least $17.00 worth of black bags! How can the pension withstand the hit? And the people who are so well versed in all the bad stuff that is about to go down? Gotta’ wonder.
So yeah Ruby. I think it’s a lot of “I don’t wanna’ do it. Waah!! And you can’t make me! So there.” Personally I could care less if someone goes by and eyeballs my garbage. Knock yourself out. Maybe you’ll find a treasure. Or at least a lasting memory.
And then I read the report from the ‘Don’t Mess With the Don’ group in TO. In 6 years the group has cleaned up 136,078 kg. of trash from the Don Ravines. That’s a lot of trash. All delivered by the general public and likely not under cover of darkness. This was supposedly from an area where there is one specific store. And the #1 brand of trash was Tim’s. Canada has 4,000 such stores. I suppose there are some who might be feeling that trash is being run in and dumped from other stores. Just to get the tonnage up. I have no rebuttal. But you seem to have a problem.
Who has tried to sort the litter at such places? You know the plastic, paper, trash things. Generally crammed to the top with everything, at a store that hardly has enough people to operate let alone deal with the refuse. But they do crank out the garbage. So is the truck driver who arrives at these places for pickup going the have a look into the now clear bags? Will they be clear bags? Or is all this ‘new bag’ commotion to just deal with the little people.
Like my single, clear bag a week makes a world of difference. I know! Every little bit hurts. But me and Tim Hortons? They win by a landslide. Or garbage slide. Or at least 11, 000 kg a year if only half what that group has picked up is true..
More power to you folk. No, I don’t mean Tim’s.
Martin Rutledge says
Greenwashing in action. Lets all pretend we are being world class in waste management while most recycling goes to landfill or trucked to incineration. Most of Muskoka has no access to regular hazardous waste collection. Manufacturers and retailers continue to over package. Lets punish the least likely able to control garbage production by making their curbside pickup an exercise in frustration. Great thinking by our local bureaucracy. Wondering when a useful conversation will occur leading to a realistic strategy for the District’s waste management going forward into the future. I think Nero is fiddling while Rome is burning metaphorically speaking.
Kathryn Henderson says
I agree with all the above comments. We are being treated as children and why the 10% fee increase??????? We are barely making our bills now. Again they only reuse 10% of recycle. I have seen the garbage bag go in the same garbage truck and spot as the recycle. This is just a “feel good, get more money from people” . I too have a few hundred green garbage bags. What do I do with them????? Will I be compensated for these? And it was stupid to get rid of plastic grocery bags we got for free and now have to buy more plastic bags. Where is the upside of that? Do the people of the town have any say in this??? There will be garbage disposed of in back roads or hey maybe on the town steps!
Paul Kuebler says
Dumping has been happening for sometime now, whether that is roadside, behind buildings, in industrial bins or beside them. The likelihood of being caught and convicted is small.
Now as Allen Pastrak and Ruby Truaxe pointed out, I am afraid roadside dumping will explode with this plan.
So, with the likelihood of being caught and convicted so low, what will be the penalty for being convicted of dumping? I am afraid it will be a slap on the hand. Until penalties are painful, very painful, dumping will continue.
So, I suggest the district backup this plan with very painful penalties. And don’t give me any of that economic hardship crap, you dump, you pay!! It costs me nothing to recycle and thereby reduce landfill size.
As for my leftover black bags, I will give them to friends and family who still use them.
Paul Kuebler
Port Sydney
Terry Graham says
I don’t really care what colour my garbage bag is. It won’t change how I handle my waste. Which is to say as responsibly as I can.
But if the District is really concerned about reducing waste it would make sure all households can use a green bin. I believe that many many households do not have green bin pick up and are then able to toss 2 bags of garage each week compared to my one.
Providing the green bin program to everyone would acheive the waste reduction that the District is hoping for.
Gayle Bellemare says
Some households buy waste bags in bulk, in some cases enough for 2-3 years. What are we to do, ask Costco for a refund on a partially used case, or will we be allowed to continue to us these until they are done?
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
We’re sending recyclables to where? What do they do with it? With a net recycling rate of +/- 10% I’m wondering why we’ve developed a high level, complex system so we can send 90% of it to landfill anyway.
I’m waiting for someone to make this make sense.