Sudbury, Ont. staff propose clear garbage bags as one way to reduce waste at the landfill

City staff in Sudbury, Ont. presented clear garbage bags as one way to divert waste from the city's landfill, during a meeting on Monday.

The city wants to divert 90 per cent of its solid waste by 2050 in order to maximize space at the landfill.

Renee Brownlee, the city's director of environmental services, told councillors that a household waste audit last year found that households that didn't use their green cart, for organic waste, could have diverted around half their garbage.

The same audit found that around 11 per cent of the waste in garbage bags should have been in the blue recycling bin instead.

Clear garbage bags were one of 17 options Brownlee and other city staff members presented to the city's Operations Committee to divert waste.

"The other best practice is a pay per use system. So paying for your garbage, " Brownlee said.

"I don't think it gets you as far in terms of waste diversion because there will always be people who say I can afford to throw it out, I could afford to use up that landfill space."

Staff noted that several communities in Ontario have adopted clear garbage bags, so garbage collectors can see what people are throwing out.

Those communities include Markham, Cornwall, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Orangeville.

Sudbury city councillor Pauline Fortin asked if the city's garbage collectors would refuse to pick up clear bags with waste that belongs in the green or blue bins instead.

"That would be really part of more of the detailed design and implementation of the program," Brownlee responded.

"And as we develop those fine details, we will bring them back to committee and council for approval."

Coun. Mike Parent said that based on conversations with his constituents, he would have trouble supporting a move to clear plastic bags.

Parent said homeowners already spend a lot of time sorting their garbage and trying to figure out where it belongs.

"Make sure it's not more than two bags. Can't be more than 40 pounds," he said. "Have this bag, this blue box, this other cart."

Parent said residents want to reduce their waste, but it can get too cumbersome if they're spending a lot of mental energy to sort through it.

"I think that it's going to be problematic to get the support," he said.