As of July, folks in western Newfoundland will no longer be permitted to use black garbage bags for their trash.
In a news release issued Thursday morning, Western Regional Waste Management announced it will be mandatory to use clear bags for regular garbage and blue bags for recyclables.
Clear bags will improve the safety of garbage collectors by enabling them to see contents in the bag, such as broken glass, needles and other items that can cause injuries.
The main impetus for the change, though, is to ensure western Newfoundland is compliant with the province’s waste management strategy, which has set a 50 per cent waste diversion rate and an 80 per cent reduction rate in the number of waste disposal sites.
The new two-stream service is expected to increase the diversion of recyclables and prevent hazardous materials from going into landfills.
Josh Carey, chair of the Western Regional Service Board, said in the press release that the board is working with retailers throughout the region to ensure sufficient supplies of clear and blue bags will be on store shelves in time for the launch.
Carey said the advance notice of the service starting in July should give people lots of notice to use up their dark garbage bags and start using clear bags.
To accommodate privacy needs, people will be allowed to use small, non-transparent bags, referred to as privacy bags, to put into their clear bags. Grocery and kitchen catcher bags are commonly used as privacy bags.
As part of the roll-out strategy, residents will be mailed a clear and blue bag sample pack with a coupon and there will be a public education campaign launched.
