THUNDER BAY -- On the same day Canada will commemorate 150 years since its Confederation, local homeowners will see the number of items they can throw away each week reduced from three to two.
The curbside garbage reduction that passed as part of the 2017 municipal budget will take effect on July 1.
The two-item limit includes cans, which can fit multiple bags, provided the containers don't exceed a weight of 18 kilograms. Apartment residents and businesses will be exempted from the change.
City administration is currently assembling a policy to address other exemptions and design a bag-tag system.
City solid waste manager Jason Sherband is confident his department can deliver a public education campaign on yet-to-be-presented bag tag rules by the time they take effect.
"The report on the tag option will come back to council in a month's time and we'll hopefully ratify that bylaw, if that's the choice of council, a week later," he said.
"We're already anticipating that's the direction we're going to go and we're building communication plans accordingly. We certainly feel we have adequate time to get the message out to the community."
The department is also considering changing the hours at its recycling depots to reflect citizen wishes expressed in a 2014 survey. Those could see the John Street Road site open on Sunday and closed during times of lower traffic.
"It will just be an adjustment of hours. There will be no additional cost to the city. It may be extending an evening, opening on Sundays," Sherband said.
"I can envisage, for example, a Thursday opening up later and giving us some hours on a Sunday, taking away from some times that aren't well-utilized."
The depot's current hours are Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The province is expected to harmonize items municipalities will have to accept for recycling. Sherband anticipates more types of plastic will become part of the city's waste diversion plan. He's confident city staff will be able to adapt to that change as well.
"I think we're set up," he said. "We sort of know what we need, we just sort of need some direction in the form of what the new regulations are going to look like. I think we're well-positioned."
