Editor's note: This does not affect residents of Barrie, which is responsible for its own waste collection as a separated city.
NEWS RELEASE
COUNTY OF SIMCOE
*************************
The County of Simcoe is reminding residents that Feb. 10 to 14 is week two of the new curbside waste collection schedule and households will receive recycling and green bin collection. Please have materials at the curb by 7 a.m. as pick-up times may be altered over the coming weeks.
A reminder that additional recycling materials can be placed in extra recycling bins, carboard boxes or see-through plastic bags. To provide convenience to residents, recycling materials can now be mixed together and no longer need to be separated. This is called single-stream recycling, and sorting of materials will occur later in the process.
New schedule at a glance:
- Feb. 3 to 7: garbage and green bin collection
- Feb. 10 to 14: recycling and green bin collection
- Feb. 17 to 21: garbage and green bin collection
- Feb. 24 to 28: recycling and green bin collection
Collections rotate on this alternating schedule moving forward
Benefits to the environment and service levels:
This change to garbage and recycling collection on alternating weeks, with green bin collection continuing weekly will support the environment by growing our green bin program, encourage a reduction in single-use materials, and help to lower emissions with fewer trucks on the road each day. It will also help restore consistency to our collection service by addressing past labour issues experienced by our contractor and allow the County to better manage long-term contractual costs, which are rising throughout the waste management industry.
This new alternating schedule, combined with the move to single-stream recycling, allows the County to run one truck to each household on collection days instead of two in the previous program. Each truck has two compartments, so the two streams of materials set out each week will remain separated and processed appropriately.
How it works:
- Green bin collection will continue to occur every week
- Garbage and recycling collection will alternate every other week (one week garbage, the next week recycling)
- Residents can set out two bags/containers of garbage every other week (weight and size restrictions still apply)
- Recycling no longer needs to be separated into different bins. Materials will be sorted later in the process
- Excess recyclables can be placed in bins, cardboard boxes or see-through plastic bags
- One truck visits your household each week (instead of two in the previous program) and places items into two separate compartments
Helpful links and information:
The best way to track your collection week is through the Simcoe County Collects App. You can also call 1-800-263-3199 to sign up for weekly phone reminders and alerts.
Our 2020 waste calendar was mailed to all County households at the end of January. The calendar includes weekly set-out instructions.
For full details about this change to curbside waste collections and why it is happening now, please visit www.simcoe.ca/collectionschange.
*************************
