The City of Ottawa wants to hear your garbage opinions again

A worker picks up garbage in Ottawa. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

The City of Ottawa is looking for more feedback on its draft Solid Waste Master Plan, as staff work towards finalizing how the city will handle garbage in the coming decades.

The City has been seeking public input on the plan for several years. In the previous rounds of consultations, residents offered feedback on things like green bin use in multi-residential properties, turning waste into renewable energy, and finding new and creative ways to reduce and reuse.

"Ottawa’s vision is to be a zero-waste city. And yet, more than half of what we throw in the garbage could be recycled or composted. We need a plan that can stand up to challenges such as climate change and a landfill that is filling up fast," the city said in a news release Wednesday.

Residents are now being asked to review the draft Solid Waste Master Plan and offer feedback, through an online survey available on Engage Ottawa. Questions include whether you support the recommendations outlined in the draft Solid Waste Master Plan, which aspects of the plan you will find difficult to follow, and which issue facing the city in the next 30 years related to waste you think is the most important.

The survey will be available until March 7.

City staff say time is running out to set plans into motion and decisions must be made by this term of council. The Trail Road Landfill could reach capacity between 2034 and 2035 if no changes are made to disposal habits.

A new landfill or alternate technology, such as an incinerator, will be required to manage Ottawa's future garbage needs. The plan will also include sending up to 60,000 tonnes of garbage per year to private landfills, which will help buy a couple of years for the Trail Road dump.

In the meantime, residents will soon be required to put out less garbage at the curb, change their garbage collection schedules, and can expect to pay higher taxes for garbage collection.

The final waste plan will be presented to city council in June; however, staff say it will be a "living document" and will be updated every five years.

In addition to the survey, residents can register for a virtual information session and an in-person open house about the plan.