East end borough to collect trash every 2 weeks to encourage waste reduction

Garbage trucks will pass less often in an east end borough with the aim of significantly reducing waste heading to landfills.

That means, as part of the pilot project, waste will be collected every two weeks rather than once a week in certain parts of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

"Faced with the climate emergency, we must now move up a gear by significantly reducing the material sent to landfills, which each year produce methane responsible for greenhouse gases," the city says on its website.

Roughly 85 per cent of the materials found in garbage bags can go elsewhere, the city says.

The city estimates organic waste accounts for 57 per cent of people's garbage. Another 21 per cent could be recycled and about seven per cent is construction debris, which could instead be collected as bulky items.

The project starts Feb. 28. 

Montreal says three other Canadian cities — Gatineau, Longueuil and Toronto — have already reduced household garbage collection to once every two weeks. 

The Éco-quartier de Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve will be offering support to residents of large buildings and businesses in targeted sectors.

In 2020, the cost of collecting household waste was estimated at 3.5 per cent of the city's expenses, or about $200 million annually.

Mixed reactions to pilot project

Not everybody loves the idea. Mark Giard said every two weeks just isn't enough.

"I have two bags a week," he said. "I leave it on my balcony, what happens is cats or whatever mess it up."

The longer the garbage sits there, the more the animals will rifle through it and trash his balcony.

But others don't agree. Sarah Hollo-Weiss is hopeful that with less garbage pickup, her neighbours will be forced to think twice about how much trash they put out. 

"I really wish it would encourage them to produce less garbage, but yes in front of my home there's already a lot of garbage."

She admits if the collection is every two weeks, there's going to be even more trash piling up in front of her place.

Borough mayor says it's time to do more for environment

Borough Mayor Pierre Lessard-Blais said there's no time to waste.

The landfill in Terrebonne — the only one for the greater Montreal area — will reach its capacity by 2029, he said.

"The pilot project's main object is that people compost more and recycle more," Lessard-Blais said. "We have to lower the amount of waste we throw away every year."

This project will encourage people to change their home waste management habits rather than just letting garbage pile up, he explained.

Another borough, Saint-Laurent, already limits trash pickup to every two weeks for buildings with eight or fewer units. 

But this east end pilot project will affect all buildings served by the municipal collection, including large apartment buildings, industries, businesses and institutions.

Even if the pilot project is a success, the borough mayor said that doesn't mean things will change all at once.

Existing contracts for garbage pickup mean any change will be done gradually, he said.

Until then, the borough will be offering support to residents to ensure the pilot project runs smoothly.

"We will accompany the citizens. We will put all the tools and all the efforts to make it a win for our society," he said.