Garbage collection hot item on Monday’s city council agenda

Will biweekly garbage pick-up lead to overflowing garbage bins or encourage people to recycle more? People on both sides of the debate are weighing in on the 980 CJME Facebook page ahead of the city council vote.

Several people with big families and home daycares commented that they want the city to trash the plan, arguing waiting two weeks will create a huge mess.

“We’re a family of five and I have a home daycare. My recycling bin is over flowing by pick up every second week. My garbage bin is packed every week. I’m not sure how we’re going to make this work,” Lisa Cassano Beggs wrote. “It’s too expensive to haul your trash to the dump every week. I have a feeling the alleys will be quick to fill up with garbage, and neighbours will be filling one another’s bins when theirs are overflowing.”

Christine Elen is in the same boat, adding that running a home daycare doesn’t leave you with a lot of disposable income to hire someone to haul away extra garbage to the dump, especially since that’s a service she pays taxes to the city for.

Many of the replies to these comments suggest that home businesses like daycares should either pay to have someone haul away the garbage, or have the option to pay extra for a second garbage bin.

Peggy Klassen writes, “What about allowing households with unusual circumstances such as a daycare to have two bins? I like the idea of all the (money) that the city will save with biweekly garbage collection in the winter months. Also, people need to learn how to use their recycle bins. Too many stuff things like cardboard in the garbage bins instead of the recycle bins.”

There are plenty of people who are happy with the plan, saying that if you recycle properly you shouldn’t need weekly garbage pickup.

“This is the best news ever,” wrote Shannon Czemeres, suggesting that people who are whining should try to reduce, reuse and recycle. “I could go a month without putting my cart out. What on earth could you possibly be throwing away that you need garbage pickup once a week??? Try out the blue one — you’ll find you don’t need to use the brown one so much.”

Monique Audet agreed with that position on Facebook, writing that if you recycle correctly then the blue bin is the one overflowing at the end of two weeks. She suggests the city should increase recycling pick up.

A few people weighing in on the debate say garbage pick-up once every two weeks is more than enough in the towns where they live, even with a large family.