Starting Monday, Niagara Region’s waste collection switches to a new every-other-week garbage collection schedule in an effort to reduce the volume of recyclables and organic waste going into landfills.
All organic waste and recycling will continue to be picked up every week across Niagara municipalities.
Communities receiving garbage collection the week of Oct. 19 to 23 will include:
- Fort Erie
- Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Pelham
- St. Catharines
- Thorold
- Wainfleet
- West Lincoln
Communities receiving garbage collection the week of Oct. 26 to 30, and will not receive it the week of Oct. 19 include:
- Grimsby
- Lincoln
- Niagara Falls
- Port Colborne
- Welland
In addition to the frequency changes, quantity changes have also changed. Residents can also now put two garbage containers out on their garbage collection day, up from one.
The new contracts also bring changes to large item pickup. Large item pick-up is now limited to four items per garbage collection day.
Large item pickup requests
Residents must submit requests for large-item pick-up at least two working days before their garbage collection. This can be which can be done online or residents can call their contractor for pick-up:
- Grimsby, Lincoln, Pelham, Thorold, Wainfleet and West Lincoln call: GFL 1-855-971-4550.
- Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, and Welland call: Miller 1-833-621-0726
Appliances will no longer be picked up at the curb. You can still recycle these items at drop-off depots, or through scrap metal haulers or dealers. More details on waste collection changes can be found here.
Collection days stay the same
Collection days will remain the same for Niagara municipalities, except for Pelham and Wainfleet. Both areas will be changing to Monday collection starting Monday, Oct. 19. The map of the areas affected by these changes can be found here: Pelham, Wainfleet.
The purpose of those changes is to reduce recyclable and organic waste in Niagara landfills.
“Niagara’s residential diversion rate (the percentage of waste not going to landfill) has levelled off at around 56 per cent. We continue to send about 44 per cent of our waste to landfills, with materials, which could go in the Green Bin, Blue Box or Grey Box,” said a Niagara Region advisory.
“Residents who use their Blue Box, Grey Box and Green Bin should be able to stay within the two garbage bag/can limit every-other-week. Waste audit results show that 64 per cent of what Niagara residents place in the garbage can be recycled or composted. We all need to do our share to reduce recyclable and organic waste being sent to landfills,” it said.
Canada’s Waste Reduction Week
The new schedule coincides with Canada’s Waste Reduction Week which aims to reduce unnecessary waste in landfills, save natural resources, and reduce Canada’s impact on climate change.
Niagara residents can prepare for the changes by downloading the New Niagara Region Waste app (click here) and getting a green bin for organic waste.
“50 per cent of what is typically disposed of in a garbage bag currently can go into the Green Bin, which will continue to be collected weekly. Placing your food waste in the Green Bin for weekly collection will avoid potential issues with odours and pests that may occur if this material sits in the garbage for two weeks,” the region’s advisory said.
Residents disposing of diaper waste or waste generated due to a medical condition can also register for weekly pickup if this waste can not fit in the new waste collection schedule. Read more about this here.
More information about these changes can be found online or by calling the Waste Info-Line Monday to Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 905-356-4141 or toll-free: 1-800-594-5542.
Learn more:
Original announcement on the Niagara Region website
Niagara Waste info
Waste collection app info