District councillors will get a closer look at the proposed transition to clear garbage bags during tomorrow’s Engineering and Public Works Committee meeting.
Staff prepared an information package for Council, and they will vote on whether to proceed with the clear bag program.
The staff report goes over some of the basics of what the transition will look like and why they feel it’s necessary.
According to the report, compiled by Renee Recoskie, the Director of Waste Management and Environmental Services for the District of Muskoka, the transition is being proposed for a number of 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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This feels incredibly invasive on personal privacy. The two small “privacy bags” that each household is allowed is ridiculous. We now will have to sort our garbage and decide whether we want the neighbours seeing it as they drive by and if not we have to hope it fits into the “privacy bag” and, the kicker is, we pay 10% more! And the garbage pick up staff are laden with the duty of monitoring what people put in the bags. This idea is an insult to those who dispose of their household waste responsibly.
It is clear that the general public does not want this. Recoskie says here that we could see up to a 10% increase in the waste diversion rate, which in an April article this year she is quoted as saying is currently 37%. So, moving to clear bags *might* provide a 3.7% increase? Why not an education campaign instead? Why not more info about waste separation and diversion on district websites, in the waste management app, and so on? Seems a big (and generally unwanted) change for a mere (and merely potential) small increase in the waste diversion rate.
What do I do with my hundreds of black garbage bags? One of the costs of banning these bags should be that District will “buy them back” or replace them with clear since their random act of banning them leaves no room to “use up” stock on hand.
What about the frosted bags. Are they considered clear?
Do we really want to put the onus and job of inspection on the trash collection truck drivers, in addition to their current work load? What do they do with bags they do not think pass the requirements? Do they just leave them on the curb?? They have few options and no time at the point where they do the actual collection.
This is a money grab for no reason.
The trash from construction, business,and industry is not sorted or monitored.
Go after the true problem.
And if anyone ever watched the trash collector’s, they run to the cans, through them in the truck and run to catch up with a truck that’s ready to move. They can’t possibly monitor bag contents.
Get a reality check District.
This sucks. I don’t need to be monitored. I put my recycle in clear big bags. My garbage is my business not the towns. And an increase for.pickup? What the hell. Taxes should already cover waste pickup and disposal. The council can come out to my house and sort my garbage for me. I will throw everything out in a green bag at collection services.