As the region heads into its first Christmas with bi-weekly garbage pickup, Waste Manager Kathleen Barsoum says sorting will be key to managing holiday home waste.
Last year, every household in Waterloo region could put its festive trash - its wrapping paper, gift bags, dinner leftovers, party plates and cutlery - out by the road immediately after Christmas Day for the usual, weekly garbage pickup.
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But this year the region has switched over to bi-weekly garbage pickup. That means households in Kitchener and the townships will get to put their garbage out after Christmas Day, but those in Waterloo and Cambridge will have to wait until the first week in January.
Tips and tricks
What should you do, if you have to hold on to your holiday waste for an extra week? Barsoum has the following advice:
- What people really don't want to hold onto is food waste or, as Barsoum says, "the stuff that's going to smell." This going in your green bin and isn't affected by the bi-weekly schedule. It can be put out every week.
- Paper towels and paper plates can also go in your green bin, which will free up space in your regular garbage.
- If your green bin is full to overflowing, she suggests filling a separate compostable, green bin bag, and setting it on top of your green bin on garbage collection day.
- Most of the extra waste that you get around Christmas time is wrapping paper, tissue paper and gift bags. These go in your blue bin, which is also not affected by the bi-weekly schedule.
If sorting your garbage into blue, green and black bins seems a little overwhelming during the busy holiday season, Barsoum says it doesn't have to be.
"People are so accustom now to sorting. It's become second nature." she told CBC News. "I think if you make it easy for [guests] to sort at your house, make it handy for them, then I think people will actually do it."
Pickup dates have changed
She's also reminding residents that, because of the holiday Monday, collection days have been shifted back.
- If you usually put your garbage/compost/recycling out on Monday, put it out on Tuesday.
- If you usually put your garbage/compost/recycling out on Tuesday, put it out on Wednesday.
- If you usually put your garbage/compost/recycling out on Wednesday, put it out on Thursday.
- If you usually put your garbage/compost/recycling out on Thursday, put it out on Friday.
- If you usually put your garbage/compost/recycling out on Friday, put it out on Saturday.
