Gatineau councillors call for emergency garbage pickup
Amanda Pfeffer | CBC News | Posted: August 24, 2018 1:25 AM | Last Updated: August 24, 2018
Gatineau mayor considers cost of emergency garbage pickup as concern grows over illegal dumping
As frustration grows in Gatineau over illegal dumping, city councillors held a special council meeting Thursday to consider tweaking the new rules for garbage pickup and allowing extra curbside collections for bulk items.
Since new restrictions on garbage came into effect July 15, one change in particular involving large items seems to have led to rampant illegal dumping of things such as mattresses and couches.
The city has received numerous complaints about illegal dumping since the change, and the resulting mess had several councillors at the meeting calling for an emergency cleanup.
"We need to show we're doing something," Coun. Nathalie Lemieux told her colleagues.
The decision to have an emergency cleanup could be made without a vote, but Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said he would have to consider the cost first.
A decision on the issue could be made as soon as next week, he said.
Drop-off fee could disappear
Councillors pointed to new restrictions on bulk items, which are now collected just four times a year. Residents can also drop off items at a designated collection centre for $50, but councillors moved to eliminate that charge on Thursday.
Council will vote on eliminating the fee Tuesday and discuss increasing the curbside pickup of big items to once a month.
The special meeting comes just weeks after the implementation of the new rules which made composting mandatory and brought in other limits on garbage pickup.
Coun. Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, who heads the committee responsible for implementing the provincially-mandated changes, has already suggested she's open to all ideas, as long as they conform to the long-term goal set out by council.
The new rules are based on guidelines adopted in 2016 as part of a plan to reduce waste sent to landfills by 45 per cent of 2016 levels by 2020.
All cities in Quebec have to make changes like we're doing right now. - Coun. Maude Marquis-Bissonnette
"We're trying here to adjust the bylaws that we've passed to make sure to reduce the negative impact," Marquis-Bissonnette told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Friday.
The $50 fee to drop items off at the collection centre made sense when only one or two dozen people were using the service, Marquis-Bissonnette said — but that was before the new restrictions came in to place.
Marquis-Bissonnette said council is also planning to increase staffing and extend hours at the centre.
She attributed some of the hiccups to the fact Gatineau is one of the first Quebec municipalities to try to come in line with the province's plans.
"All cities in Quebec have to make changes like we're doing right now," Marquis-Bissonnette told Ottawa Morning. "We're just one of the first to do it. And so it might be just a bit harder."