Big changes have “bin” made to how garbage is collected in Hawkesbury this year.
This spring, each residential dwelling and commercial property within the town limits will receive a new grey bin with two wheels. Bins for individual homes will hold 240 litres and multi-residential buildings with more than five units and commercial buildings will receive 360 litre bins based on the number of units.
The bins are limited to the volume of waste contained in the designated bin with the lid closed. Any additional waste must be in a separate bag with a special tag, which is available for purchase from the town hall. A set of 10 tags will be given for free with each bin to assist residents with the transition.
The town is covering half of the $90 cost of each bin. A fee of $45 will be added to one of the quarterly utility bills (water and wastewater) for each property owner.
Each bin must remain at the address to which it has been assigned. Bins are the responsibility of each owner and occupant.
Up to now, Hawkesbury has not required residents to have specific bins for garbage collection, nor was there any limit on the amount of garbage residents could leave at the curb on collection day.
According to Jennifer Ashfield, the municipal employee managing the changes to waste collection, the intent of the switch to bins and limits is modernization of collection. Currently, Hawkesbury is the only municipality in Prescott and Russell with no limit on the amount of garbage residents set by the street for disposal. A gradual transition to the new system will take place across town.
“It’s a big change,” commented Mayor Robert Lefebvre.
Ashfield said each bin will include a traceable RFID chip and serial number. Single family households cannot upgrade to a commercial-size bin.
No changes are being made to recycling in Hawkesbury at this time. Residents will be able to continue to recycle as much material as they want. However, there are currently no plans to introduce residential compost pickup in Hawkesbury.
“We’re not there yet,” said Chief Administrative Officer Samuel Cardarelli.
Lefebvre said only 37 municipalities in Ontario had food scrap compost pickup in 2022. The mayor said he wants to see more promotion and education of waste diversion in Hawkesbury and acknowledged the town has catching up to do.
Changes to large waste and yard waste
Changes are also being made to large waste and yard waste collection in Hawkesbury. The four-week special collection usually held each spring will be replaced with six collections during the year with a limit of two items per household. The new collections will be held on regular waste collection days and must conform to a list published on the town’s website. Electronic items will also be included in the new large waste collections.
Hawkesbury has previously not had a separate collection for yard waste. All yard waste materials were previously sent to landfill with regular waste. A special yard waste collection will be held in Fall 2023 and will include leaves, certain branches, and plant residue within a list published on the town’s website. No food waste or lumber will be permitted.
For more information
Residents and business operators have the opportunity to learn more about the changes to garbage collection in the Town of Hawkesbury at the municipal Open House Day being held on Tuesday, March 28 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Robert Hartley Sports Complex.
For more information on the changes to garbage collection in Hawkesbury, go to www.hawkesbury.ca/en/garbage .
