While not everybody in Waterloo and Cambridge realized or remembered not to put out their garbage on Monday, regional waste officials say they’re happy with the number who did.

Monday marked the first day of the region’s new curbside waste pickup contract with Miller Waste Systems, and with it the first day of biweekly garbage pickup.

Recycling and green bins are still being picked up every week. That’s not the case for garbage, where Waterloo Region’s townships and Kitchener will now alternate pickup weeks with Waterloo and Cambridge.

In this first week under the new order, Kitchener and the townships are getting garbage collection.

On Monday, waste officials estimated that 90 per cent of households in Waterloo and Cambridge seemed to be aware of this.

Homes where garbage was mistakenly put out received stickers and other reminders of the changes.

With Miller Waste Systems replacing Waste Management as the region’s primary waste collector of choice and garbage pickup becoming less frequent, there will also be fewer pickup trucks roaming the region’s roads.

There are now 50 collection trucks roaming the cities and 15 in the townships, as compared to 64 trucks in the cities and 20 in the townships under the old contract.

With reporting by Carina Sledz