Trash talk: Your garbage collection DAY may change in 2016

(Photo: Kelly Roche/QEW South Post)

BY KELLY ROCHE

Barb Poce knows the new garbage carts are on deck and she’s worrying about the size.
“I don’t have much room in my garage,” said Poce, who lives near Square One.
Cart delivery rollout in Mississauga was scheduled to begin today and has been postponed until Nov. 2.
Poce was surprised to learn her Thursday morning pickup may change, too.
“I would rather it stay the same so I wouldn’t have to remember,” Poce said, adding “whenever things change, it’s hard.”
Three key garbage collection changes for Peel residents take effect in January 2016:

A biweekly pickup schedule begins. Organics will be collected each week, with garbage and recycling alternating.
Carts – instead of bags and bins – are being used for trash, recycling, and organics.
A new garbage pickup day may be in store.

For instance, if trash is normally collected on Wednesday, it could switch to Tuesday in the new year.
It’s easy to find out: visit whendoesitgo.ca and enter your address. If there is a new pickup day, look to the right of your screen under Additional Features (screenshot below) and download the 2016 waste calendar.

Ask any homeowner about waste and the R-word – raccoons – inevitably pops up.
Poce said “maybe if they’re secure enough,” she’ll keep the carts outside the night before pickup.
“We usually put out stuff that the animals can’t get into,” such as recycling, said Poce.
Garbage and organics are left until morning.
But raccoons aren’t the only ones wreaking havoc on lawns. Dogs are just as guilty, Poce said, plus an unexpected culprit: squirrels.
“I was so surprised,” said Poce. “I watched him, and he just ripped into that garbage bag.”
Day or night, she said cats head into her garage when the door is open.
Region of Peel spokeswoman Allison Reynolds said if residents are “participating fully in the new program,” there should be no food waste to attract animals.
“The new organics carts, where all food waste generated in the home should be placed, have a unique gravity lock that prevents pests from getting in,” said Reynolds, adding the carts and gravity lock have been tested by the manufacturer, IPL. (The $46 million contract includes the design, manufacture, distribution and maintenance of the carts).
To prevent animals from accessing other carts, they should not be placed at the curb with the sides touching, Reynolds advised.
If there’s space, “animals are not able to get into the carts because if they are sitting on one, they will not be able to reach the other,” she said.
“If the animal is sitting on top of the cart, they are unable to open the lid due to their body weight.”
There may also be gaps in cart delivery, in that the trio won’t necessarily arrive together. Contact the region after Dec. 19 if you haven’t received all three carts.

Approximately 500,000 tonnes of primarily residential waste is collected annually, and as of Oct. 8, regional council has directed waste management staff to adopt a revised overall diversion target of 75 per cent.
According to Reynolds, 85 per cent of curbside residents currently recycle, with 45 per cent participating in the green bin program.
Kelly Lawrence of Mineola West said she uses the organics bin “all the time” in addition to hauling three recycling boxes to the curb each week.
Lawrence said she’s not concerned about the pickup day potentially changing and its impact on her family’s routine.
“It’s just the garbage,” said Lawrence.
“Whoever gets it in the morning, gets it in the morning.”
If you really want the scoop, watch this video so you can one-up your neighbours.