If the goal of moving to biweekly garbage pickup in Waterloo Region was to get more waste into green bins, then early signs are pointing to the change being a successful one.

According to a new report from the region, more than 1,400 tonnes of green bin waste were collected in March – representing an increase of more than 50 per cent from March 2016.

On March 6, two companies took over the contract for waste collection for 146,000 households from Waste Management. Miller Waste Systems handles collection in the cities, and Emterra Environmental takes care of the townships.

Several changes to the collection program took effect on that date – the most prominent being a cutback in garbage pickup to every two weeks (with a four-bag limit).

Green bins and recycling bins continue to be emptied out on a weekly basis, and regional officials have said that the change was an attempt to divert more waste out of the region’s landfill.

The report cautions that the 50 per cent increase in green bin tonnage seen in March may not be sustainable over the long-term.

Another side effect of the changes has been an increase in demand for green bins.

An order of 8,000 bins arrived in the region this month, and 32,000 more are on the way. That number represents the region’s entire budget for new green bins in 2017.

According to the report, four main issues have been identified regarding what people are putting out at their curbs:

  • Not all waste is being taken to the curb before 7 a.m., when the collection crews begin their work
  • Some garbage cans and bags heavier than the 23-kilogram limit are being left for pickup
  • Some homes are putting out more bulky items than the collection limit of three items per household during garbage collection weeks
  • Not all homes with two recycling bins are using one for containers and the other for paper products and plastic bags

The report also says that the region has received “overwhelmingly positive” feedback to the requirement for collection crews to “nest” green bins and recycling boxes inside each other, reducing the likelihood of bins blowing down the street or breaking.