Three-item/can limit coming for curbside waste collection

Starting Monday, September 30, the City will be implementing a three-item/can garbage limit for residents who receive curbside waste collection. This limit includes residents whose waste is collected in one shared location – often called a common pad – and those living on agricultural properties.

Ottawa has had a six-item garbage limit in place since 2007. This limit has been far more generous than many municipalities, including neighbouring communities around our city. The new limit helps us extend the life of our Trail Road Waste Facility Landfill as we explore new options for waste disposal.

What is considered an item in this new three-item garbage limit?

An item includes the following:

• a plastic waste bag

• a bin with a maximum capacity of up to 140 litres. Households can put several waste bags in a bin as long as the weight is less than 33 pounds (15 kilos) per bin.

• Furniture or bulky item that can’t be re-used or donated

Examples of acceptable three-item combinations include:

• one 140-litre bin, a plastic waste bag and a broken chair

• three 140-litre bins

• three plastic waste bags

• two 140 litre bins and one broken vacuum

Leaf and yard waste stored in paper leaf and yard waste bags do not count towards the limit. There will continue to be no limit to how much residents can set out through green, blue and black bins.

Yellow bags for excess waste

You can purchase City of Ottawa yellow bags if you are unable to meet the garbage limit. We encourage you to consider your waste diversion options before using the program. Bags will be available for sale at the end of September/early October. Find out more about where to purchase the bags at ottawa.ca/garbage

Special considerations

For households that generate unavoidable waste from diapers, incontinence products and/or home healthcare waste that exceeds the bi-weekly three-item garbage limit, residents can sign up for the Special Consideration program

Households must be participating in the recycling and green bin programs every week.

• Only diapers and incontinence waste and/or home healthcare waste can be put in the one bag that is exempted for off-week collection.

• Only the following items can be set out curbside for collection:

  
  
  
  

  • Diapers and incontinence waste

  • Casts

  • Catheters

  • Colostomy bags (empty and rinsed)

  • Dialysis waste like tubing, filters, disposable towels, and sheets

  • Disposable pads

  • First aid supplies

  • Gastric and nasal tubes (empty and rinsed)

  • Gloves, masks, gowns, and aprons

  • Intravenous bags and tubing (empty and rinsed)

  • Used dressings

    
    
    
    

• Hazardous waste such as blood-saturated items, sharps, needles, syringes, lancets, and pre-filled pens are not accepted and should not be placed in the garbage.

• The waste must be double bagged to be collected.

• Weekly participation in the City of Ottawa’s Green Bin program and recycling program are required.

• If the exemption is no longer required or if you move, you must notify the City of Ottawa online or by calling 3-1-1.

• This exemption must be renewed annually for continued service. A renewal reminder will be sent to you prior to the expiry of this service via email.

• Garbage must be double bagged when placed inside of garbage containers. Material cannot be loose.

  
  
  
  

For more information on Special Consideration program visit Ottawa.ca/garbage

Tips for waste reduction

More than half of waste set out on garbage day can be recycled, composted or even reused. Outside of the City’s recycling and composting programs, there are a variety of programs and community groups that can give many of your unwanted items a second life.

• An unwanted item in your home might be high on your neighbour’s wish list. Many neighbourhoods have Buy Nothing groups, where members can post items to give, free of charge, to those who want them. Be sure to check Facebook or other local forums to see if there is one active in your community.  

• Have an item you want to get rid of, but are unsure where it can be safely disposed? Check out the Waste Explorer. It can direct you to which bin an item goes in, or if it should be taken to a retailer running a Take It Back! program. You can visit the Waste Explorer online, or via the Ottawa Collection Calendar mobile app available for both Apple and Android devices.

• The City also hosts several events throughout the year where you can dispose of specialty waste, such as electronics or hazardous waste or even get an item repaired. Upcoming Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste events can be found by visiting the City’s Hazardous waste and special items webpage. The City has also sponsored several Repair Café events throughout the year. At these events, you can get an item assessed and repaired where possible by a volunteer from Ottawa Tool Library(link is external).

FAQs

Why is the City making the limit 140l cans?

The City of Ottawa provided a detailed explanation to CTV News, which you can find here.

10 Key Questions answered by CBC

• What happens if I put out too much trash?

• Where can I buy those yellow bags?

• Does my basement renter also get three items? 

• What if I share a garbage area with neighbours?

• Won't there be more illegal dumping?

• What if I have an infant or a family member who produces medical waste?

  • And if I have both?

• Any other special exemptions?

• But what about apartments and condos…

• Why are we doing this, anyway?

The answers to all of the above questions can be found here.

Why the change?

The new limit helps us extend the life of our Trail Road Waste Facility Landfill as we explore new options for waste disposal. It’s a positive step towards a more sustainable Ottawa. 

Over half of what goes to landfill is organic food waste, which creates methane when breaking down in the landfill. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

Using the green bin is one of the most impactful ways residents can reduce carbon footprint of managing waste.

What is considered an item in the new three-item garbage limit?

An item includes a plastic waste bag up to 33 pounds, a bin up to 140 litres, or a bulky item that can’t be reused or donated. Leaf and yard waste in paper bags don’t count towards the limit and there is no change to recycling or green bin limits.  

Use your recycling and green bins

More than 50% of garbage that ends up in Ottawa’s landfill could be recycled. Let’s change that!

Use blue, black and green bin and leaf and yard waste to recycle and compost waste. You can place an unlimited number of these bins out for curbside collection.

Don’t have a recycling or green bin? Visit ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 to order them at no additional cost.

Agricultural exemption

Recognizing that, particularly in the Spring, residential agricultural properties produce unavoidable and unrecyclable waste due to farming operations, from April 1 to May 31 every year, agricultural properties with residential households on curbside collection are exempt from the three-item garbage limit. This exemption policy was developed based on feedback shared by homeowners with agriculture properties late last year.

To qualify for this exemption, agricultural properties must use the waste diversion programs (recycling and green bin) during garbage collection. Bins must be set out for collection on garbage collection day to receive the three-item garbage limit exemption. If properties are not participating in waste diversion, the City will collect three-items of garbage and leave the rest.

Need a recycling or green bin? Visit ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 to order them at no additional cost.

Knock, knock! Who's there? Environmental Education Assistants!

From September to November City of Ottawa Environmental Education Assistants (EEAs) will be out visiting homes around city that receive curbside waste collection to provide information about the new three-item garbage limit and answer any questions. They will not require access inside your home. EEAs will also be attending community events to chat with residents about the new garbage limit, as well as waste reduction programs.

To learn more about the garbage limit and check if it applies to you, visit ottawa.ca/garbage or call 3-1-1

New: More information on the three-item/can limit and the City's garbage management can be found here.