By Dana Reynolds

City flip-flops on yard waste collection in back lanes after ‘commotion’

Jun 9, 2016 | 5:00 PM

If you’ve just gotten used to placing your grass clippings on your front lawn for pick-up, you’ll be happy to know the city now requires you to return them to your back lane.

Councillor Don Cody made a motion Tuesday night in council to return yard waste collection to applicable alleyways and to scrap the six bag limit.

At the beginning of May, the city asked residents to place their yard waste including grass clippings or bundles of branches in clear plastic bags and leave them for pick-up in their front streets. This was the case even if a household’s regular recycle collection is normally carried out on a house’s back lane.

Cody told council there was “such a tremendous commotion” over changes to yard waste pick-up.

“I get more calls on some of the mundane things than you can shake a stick at,” Cody said. “People call and say ‘why are you changing this? What’s happened?’”

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After making inquiries of city staff, Cody said the rationale he was given was it was too expensive to pick-up waste both in front and behind residences. He later received correspondence saying, in fact, collection was moved to front streets because the city had plans to re-gravel back lanes.

“I just don’t understand why we changed this situation,” Cody said.

Cody also took exception to the six bag limit, explaining after maintaining his yard he had 15 bags of waste. Not allowing residents to dispose of everything at once would lead to organic material being thrown in the trash, he said.

Coun. Ted Zurakowski said it wasn’t just about pick-up; the city had to have an “honest conversation” about the entire yard waste program. The councillor wondered if the current system was cost effective.

Effectively immediately, residents with back lane recycle collection are asked to, once again, place their yard waste in the back lane along with other wastes. Those with front street pick-up are asked to keep their yard waste in the front street.

There is also no limit on the amount of bags permitted for pick-up.

City staff want to remind residents yard waste must be placed in a clear plastic bag exactly 1 m from recycle bins and to ensure their bags are no larger than 25 kg.

dreynolds@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @danitska