October 1, 2024 — With shifting legislative requirements, and increasing need to divert waste from landfills, the City is reviewing the entirety of its waste disposal operations as it prepares to introduce organic waste green bin collection in the years ahead.

Specifically, the City is currently developing a Waste Master Plan in the hopes of improving diversion rates and introducing organics collection while realizing efficiencies to offset potential costs. The City is required by the Province to introduce organics collection, as a means to increase its diversion rate.  

The City currently has a 36 per cent diversion rate; the rate at which waste that would otherwise end up in landfill is diverted to alternative streams such as recycling.

“Landfill capacity in the province is decreasing, and we need to start diverting more waste from landfill, not only to alleviate that demand and meet legislative requirements, but also to offset the environmental impacts of solid waste and landfills. As we work to meet these requirements it is crucial we realize any efficiency we can to offset the cost, so we’re looking to our residents for their input on how our waste collection system will look in the future,” said General Manager of Engineering and Operations David Jackson.

As part of the Waste Master Plan process the City is reviewing recommendations to:

  • Optimize collection routes
  • Reduce garbage collection to every other week, offsetting the cost of weekly green bin collection and recognizing decreased demand for garbage collection with more waste directed to the green bin
  • Introducing standardized rolling collection containers for more efficient collection
  • Every other week Yard Waste Collection from April to December

Residents can learn more about the plan, and related organics collection implementation strategy by visiting www.speakupsarnia.ca/WMP.

A survey is available on the page until October 22 at 4 p.m. The City will also host an open house at 7 p.m. on October 9 at Pat Stapleton Arena in the Kiwanis Room, providing the opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and provide input.