The City of Ottawa is set to step up enforcement of the new three-item waste limit in November.

Ottawa implemented the new three-item limit for all households receiving curbside waste pickup on September 30, with the goal of extending the life of the Trail Road landfill until 2024.

In October, all trash left at the curb was collected, with staff leaving a “personalized non-compliance label” on any trash bins or items exceeding the three-item limit, indicating that the limit had been exceeded.

In November, if the three item limit is exceeded, one item will be left on site with a courtesy tag explaining the new limit and why the item was left behind. Any waste exceeding the three-item limit must be placed in a yellow bag for staff to collect.

Starting in December, all waste over the three-item limit will be placed curbside.

During the first two weeks of the three-item limit, the city said less than 2 percent of households exceeded the three-item limit.

For the week of September 30 to October 4, 1.81 percent of 151,185 households exceeded the three-item limit, while 1.04 percent of 155,676 households exceeded the limit for the week of October 7 to 11 .

“A reminder that if a bin exceeding the 140L limit is used for waste disposal, or if properties set a quantity greater than the three-item limit, solid waste staff will leave a courtesy label to explain why the waste was not collected. ” Shelley McDonald, director of solid waste services, said in a statement.

“Courtesy labels have been used in the past to inform residents about waste disposal permits, and will continue to be used in the future to help residents adapt to this policy change. »

The City of Ottawa is providing examples of the new three-item waste limit, which comes into effect September 30. (City of Ottawa/news release)

Yellow bags

From November, any trash exceeding the three-item limit must be placed in a yellow bag.

The yellow bags will be sold in packs of four for $17.60. The city plans to release a list of retailers selling yellow bags this week.