After months of sitting in the garage, those new large black and green carts can officially be rolled to the end of the curb, with the updated waste collection changes now in effect across Waterloo Region.
The new trucks and cart-based collection will begin taking to the streets as of Tuesday morning, beginning with services to Woolwich, Wellesley, and North Dumfries.
Under the new system, those carts will be picked up by a mechanical truck arm, which will go alongside the bins, pick them up, and deposit the trash into the truck.
With that, it’s important to place those carts correctly at the end of the curb.
That can be done by placing the carts two feet apart, ensuring the arrows are facing the street, and the handles are facing towards the home. It’s important to make sure those lids are fully closed as well.
Changes under the new system:
Garbage collection under the black carts will be picked up every other week
Organics collection under the green carts will be picked up weekly
Recycling collection under the blue boxes will be picked up every other week, run through Circular Materials
Bulky item collection will be picked up once a month
Yard waste collection will be picked up every other week, running through Spring to Fall
Throughout the week, all households across the region will receive both garbage and organics collection as it officially shifts to its new pick-up schedule.
It will be important for the community to verify their pick-up scheduling and frequency, as it may have changed under the new system.
Alongside the new updates, the Region of Waterloo is encouraging residents to reuse old boxes. Officials recommend using them as storage for soil, mulch, or other household goods.
If that’s not possible, the bins can be dropped off at the region’s waste management sites, located at 925 Erb Rd. in Waterloo and 201 Savage Dr. in Cambridge. The region will also be hosting various drop-off events in each city and township.
As a reminder, through Circular Materials, there have been some changes to recycling collection across Waterloo Region in the new year as well.
Pick-ups will shift to bi-weekly, and as of Jan. 1, more items can be recycled and thrown into the bins.
Collection dates and frequency can be found on the Region of Waterloo’s website or on the Waste Whiz app.