3 fines for illegal dumping since launch of 3-item garbage limit in Ottawa

The large pile of discarded items along Old Innes Road includes black trash bags filled with food waste, tires, broken furniture, oil containers and industrial materials such as asphalt. Ottawa, Ont. Nov. 7, 2024. (Tyler Fleming / CTV News).

Three tickets have been issued for illegal dumping since the launch of Ottawa’s new three-item garbage limit in September, according to Bylaw Services.

The city introduced new limits on household waste in the fall as part of a plan to extend the life of the Trail Road Landfill. As of Sept. 30, households receiving curbside waste collection are limited to three items of garbage every two weeks.

Bylaw Services Director Roger Chapman told the Emergency and Protective Services committee that seven tickets were issued for illegal dumping since the new regulations began in late September, along with 11 notices of violations. The city said Thursday afternoon that seven tickets were issued for illegal dumping in 2024, including three since the end of September.

“We did see a substantial increase in call volumes since September of 2024,” Chapman said, noting there were 300 calls for service for illegal dumping since the start of the three-item limit.

“A lot of the increase happened, started in April, when there was a lot of debate over this issue and there was a lot of public discussion and an awareness was happening, so the complaints started to spike around then.”

• 35 truck loads of garbage removed from street in Ottawa’s east end

A notice of violation provides the property owner with a compliance deadline to remove the garbage from their property, according to the city.

Bylaw Services received 739 calls about illegal dumping in 2024, compared to 93 in 2023 and 102 in 2022. No tickets were issued for illegal dumping in 2022, and seven tickets were issued in 2023.

In November, CTV News Ottawa reported on residents raising a stink about a garbage heap in the area of Old Innes Road. City staff removed 35 truck loads of garbage from the street.

City staff increased proactive surveillance in parks and locations where illegal dumping had been reported. As part of the new garbage limit, the city allocated two temporary staff to Bylaw and Regulatory Services to support enhanced enforcement of illegal dumping on private property.

The fine for dumping on private property is $300, while the fine for illegally placing garbage in a park bin is $205 and a minimum $500 fine for dumping in a park.

Chapman told councillors the city is not responsible for cleaning up illegal dumping on private property.

“If the dumping is on private property, it would be the property owner’s responsibility,” Chapman said, adding Bylaw Services would conduct an investigation to identify the individual responsible for the illegal dumping.