Curbside shaming: See-through garbage bags a move to boost recycling in Mount Pearl

It's an effort to shed a little more light on what Mount Pearl residents are doing with their garbage and whether they are recycling.

Clear plastic bag are coming to curbsides in the city in March. Residents will be forced to make the switch March 1 for garbage, though recycling can remain in blue bags.

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Mount Pearl Mayor Randy Simms said Wednesday thathe's hoping the move will boost the city's recycling rates, which have been trickling down.

"Twenty-nine per cent of what's going out in our garbage is actually recyclable materials and we're only getting 9.5 per cent of that [diverted]," Simms told CBC Radio's On The Go.

"So we've got to get those numbers up there if we can."

Simms saidhe's hopeful that the switch to see-through bags will give residents a chance to think again about what they are tossing in the trash.

It's also an opportunity for city inspectors to have a look inside the bags.

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"If we see that somebody is simply ignoring the rule completely and not recycling, and not even making an effort to recycle, I think that that individual can anticipate that at some point they will be identified," Simmssaid.

The city's website says a warning will be issued first, then bags could be rejected and left at the curb.

Garbage containers to blame?

A few years ago, according to Simms, Mount Pearl had a recycling diversion rate of 15.5 per cent, compared to the 9.5 percent now.

Simms says some of the blame might lie with the garbage binsresidents now useto hold bags on garbage day.

"You look around, and say, 'OKwhat has changed? Why would that happen?'And the one big thing that changed obviously is we introduced the containerizedgarbage cart program."

"It's been a huge success, it's very popular, but I think one of the unintended consequences is that we saw a reduction in the amount of recycling in the city."

When the new clear bags roll out, residents will still be allowed to use two small grocery store size opaque bags for private materials, although the city hasn't spelled out what is considered private.

"We're going to do [this]for 90 days," Simms said. "And if at the end of 90 days we actually see that our [recycling]rate has gone down again or hasn't improved, we'll have to try to do something else."