Future of curbside collection

Oxford County is looking for public feedback on possible changes to its waste collection (pick up) program.

Why now?

Changes at the federal and provincial government levels are impacting how we deliver waste management programs locally.

We’re also working to meet goals and objectives in our new Strategic Plan, particularly those aimed at “Enhancing environmental sustainability.”

Your feedback will help influence the next phase of the County’s curbside collection program with the overall goals of optimizing collection routes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting waste diversion to extend the life of the municipal landfill site.

Community consultation

We want your feedback on the following…

1 - Introduction of curbside collection for organic materials (green bin program)

New provincial regulation requires municipalities with more than 20,000 residents to divert 50% of residential organic waste (food waste, pet waste, paper towels, etc.) from landfills through a curbside collection program or other alternative means.

In Oxford County, this will affect, at a minimum, the City of Woodstock and likely the Town of Tillsonburg.

2 - Household garbage collection frequency

Right now, Oxford County has three different residential collection programs, each with a different collection frequency (schedule for how often waste is collected).

Depending on where you live in the County, your garbage is picked up on different days and on a different frequency cycle.

In looking at different collection options and frequencies, we can support cost efficiencies, lower our carbon footprint through fewer trucks on the road, and increase our waste and organic diversion.

3 - Collection on statutory holidays

Some residents in Oxford County currently receive curbside collection on statutory holidays to minimize disruption to regular weekly pick up schedules in that community.

However, collecting on statutory holidays can present challenges, including:

• conflicts with parades and/or community events
• some businesses need to set out garbage even if closed for a statutory holiday
• some residents who need to set out garbage may be away on a long weekend
• it can affect job retention for collection workers who do not want to work on statutory holidays
• cost of mandatory overtime for waste management staff
• significantly less material (50%) is typically set out for collection on statutory holidays

4 - Collection services delivered in urban versus rural areas

Collecting in higher density areas, like towns and cities, achieves greater economies of scale (cost effectiveness) and collects more tonnage of waste.

Collection costs increase exponentially when collecting in rural areas, as the cost to collect per kilometer is high in comparison to the amount of material collected.

5 - Use of clear bags for garbage collection

Some municipalities in Ontario have implemented the use of clear plastic garbage bags in their curbside collection program.

In this type of program, garbage bags containing more than a certain amount of recyclable or green bin material may not be collected.

This has been found to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill by encouraging people to sort recycling and organics from regular garbage.

6 - Garbage bag limits

Some municipalities place limits on the number of garbage bags that can be placed at the curb at one time for collection.

This encourages residents to use recycling programs that help reduce the overall amount of waste going to the landfill.

Oxford County currently supports three residential curbside garbage and blue box material collection programs, each having different collection frequencies and acceptable material requirements.

* Pick-up is on the same day every week. If there is no pick-up due to a statutory holiday, then an alternate pick-up day is provided.

** Pick-up occurs on a different day each week. For example, if on Week 1, your pick up is on Monday, then your next pick up in Week 2 would be on Tuesday, then Wednesday on Week 3, and so on. If your next pick up is a Monday that is a statutory holiday, your next pick up would move an extra day to Tuesday.

Co-collection means that garbage and recycling is collected at the same time during each pick-up, in the same truck.

In Woodstock, both garbage and recycling are collected the same day but in separate trucks, and then in alternating weeks, only garbage is picked up (i.e., recycling is bi-weekly).

Large items

Large item collection at the curbside is offered on set schedules for oversized waste items.

For more information visit www.wasteline.ca

Brush, leaf and yard waste drop off

Brush, leaf and yard waste is accepted at depot locations across Oxford County. Operating hours can be found at www.wasteline.ca.

Brush, leaf and yard waste is brought to the Oxford County Waste Management Facility where it is processed into beneficial compost material and sold for use in gardening and landscaping products.

Composters and green cones

Oxford County also promotes residential use of backyard composters and green cones for residents to reduce their organic waste placed at the curb. These are sold at discounted rates at the Oxford County Administration Building, the Waste Management Facility, and municipal offices.

The green cone is a food digester and can take most food and kitchen waste. A green cone completely breaks down meat, bones, dairy, bread, and processed food materials without odour or attracting rodents. It also accepts organic material that a backyard composter cannot, for instance, fruit and vegetables, leaf and yard waste, egg shells and coffee grounds.

The backyard composter can be used for yard waste and some food and kitchen waste to produce garden compost.

Visit www.wasteline.ca to learn more.

Upcoming changes to curbside collection are being driven by a number of factors.

Oxford County’s 2021 Black Bag Audit

An independent audit of curbside garbage in Oxford County in 2021 found that more than half of the “black bag” (by weight) contained organic material that could be diverted from landfill and used for beneficial purposes, such as renewable natural gas or compost/soil amendment.

The audit also found that the amount of organic waste found in the black bag was typically higher in urban areas than in rural areas. (See County Council Report PW 2022-33 for further details.)

Reducing landfill methane emissions

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, municipal solid waste landfills are responsible for about 23% of Canada’s methane gas emissions from decomposed organic waste was buried in landfills over 20 years ago.

The County already diverts brush, leaf and yard waste from the municipal landfill, and it operates a landfill gas collection and flare system to mitigate methane gas emissions.

Diverting organic waste from landfills through a residential organics (green bin) collection program would significantly reduce future methane gas emissions. This aligns the County’s waste management program to federal climate change initiatives and proposed regulatory framework.

Requirement to start an organics (green bin) collection program

Starting in 2026 and as part of Ontario’s Food and Organic Waste Framework, the County will be required to provide an organics (green bin) program for communities with populations of 25,000 or more (i.e., City of Woodstock, Town of Tillsonburg, at a minimum).

Residential sources of organics are generally food and kitchen waste, but, in some municipalities, can also include non-food organics like diapers, tissues, sanitary products, pet waste, and yard waste.

In October 2023, County Council approved the recommendations in Report PW 2023-42 to consider the implementation of a residential curbside organics (green bin) collection program starting in 2026.

Meeting Oxford County's commitment to diverting organics from landfill

Through Oxford County 2023-2026 Strategic Plan and the Zero Waste Plan (June 2018), Oxford County has committed to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and to preserving and enhancing the natural environment through achieving zero waste. These goals align with the federal and provincial goals and objectives.

Start-up costs

It’s expected that green bin program costs will be similar to recycling (blue box) program costs, with added start-up costs estimated to be approximately $2.7 million for the distribution of one green bin and kitchen collection container to every single-family home.

Pick up

Participating residents would place their green bin at the curb for pick up based on their collection schedule.

Acceptable materials

Allowable materials in the green bin would include food waste. Other organic materials, such as pet waste, sanitary products, yard waste and diapers, are not expected to be included but will be considered.

Environmental impact

It is estimated that the County has approximately 5,200 - 9,200 tonnes of residential organic (green bin) material available for collection. A 50% County participation rate in the program could extend the life of our landfill site by 10 years.

Considerations

In implementing a future organics collection program, the County will be looking at whether the program is offered:

• County-wide (all eight area municipalities);
• only in the three urban areas; or,
• in a hybrid approach (urban areas and villages).

Organics (green bin) collection is not always offered in rural areas, as rural residents often compost their organic material on their own. In fact, in Oxford County, the average garbage bag (by weight) consists of 60% organic material in urban areas and 49% in rural areas.

Further, curbside collection program costs increase exponentially when collecting in rural areas, as the cost to collect per kilometer is high in comparison to the amount of material collected.

The County will also need to consider the frequency (how often) in which garbage is picked up, since the amount of garbage set out by residents each week is expected to be much less with the introduction of an organics collection program.

In 2026, as part of the new Blue Box Regulation in Ontario, municipalities will no longer be responsible for the collecting and managing recyclable materials such as paper products, containers, and product packaging used in the sale of retail products.

This will instead be managed by producers, importers and large retailers who are responsible for packaging and producing this type of waste.

In Oxford County, this change takes effect beginning January 1, 2026.

After this time, residents who currently receive curbside collection for recycling will continue to receive this service under the new Producer Responsibility model. More is on the Oxford County website.

The traditional blue box (recycling) program has been very successful in diverting these materials from landfills and reusing these materials to make new products.

However, municipalities have faced challenges managing these blue box materials, particularly in recent years due to fluctuating market demand for recycled materials and the increasing amount of material types and grades of plastic and other packaging products that are introduced without a viable end market for reusing them.

Given this upcoming change, the survey and information we are sharing at the moment does not include recycling.

Your feedback and input through the Future curbside collection program in Oxford survey and online comment form will help staff prepare a report to County Council that includes public feedback, cost analysis, and different options for the curbside collection program.

Any changes to garbage pick-up and the potential launch of an organics program would need to be finalized in 2024 in order to prepare for future implementation in 2026.

Questions? Send an email to publicworks@oxfordcounty.ca