Starting March 3, 2025, Muskoka residents will have to bag their waste in clear plastic. During an October 21 council meeting, the district approved a clear bag program that will have waste management services phase out opaque garbage bags.
“In Muskoka, over 50 per cent of what goes in the garbage at the curb belongs in the green bin, recycling, or hazardous waste stream. The clear garbage bag program encourages residents to sort compostable and recycling materials appropriately,” said Renee Recoskie, the district’s director of waste management and environmental services, in a statement.
Rosewarne, the district’s only landfill site, is close to reaching its limit. Waste management estimates that it has 15 years left. The clear bags are intended to make residents take a second look at what they’re throwing out, ensuring their waste is being sorted appropriately. By properly sorting waste, the district says it can extend the life of the landfill, deferring the substantial costs associated with finding an alternative disposal option.
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The clear bags will also better protect waste management staff when handling the bags. They’ll be able to identify sharp or dangerous items before picking the bag up.
More than two million other Canadian households have already transitioned to a clear bag program. Some notable examples include Orillia, Ont., which has seen a 38 per cent drop in garbage collected in its first and second years of the program. And Peterborough, Ont., which is now diverting 52 per cent of its waste from its landfills.
As of 2020, the district was only diverting 35 per cent of its waste from landfill. Of the 38,400 tonnes of residential material collected in 2019, 25,100 tonnes ended up in Rosewarne. Through the clear bag program, the district says it hopes to reach a waste diversion rate of 60 per cent within the next five years.
The district has started notifying local grocery stores and hardware retailers to stock up on clear bags. But for residents who still have a cupboard full of opaque garbage bags, these will be accepted at all waste drop-off facilities until January 1, 2026. However, only clear plastic bags will be accepted for curbside pick-up starting the week of March 3.
The council also heard that residents were worried about privacy, with many voicing concerns that the clear bags would allow neighbours, district staff, and others to see sensitive items in their garbage. In response, waste management services will allow residents to place two smaller, opaque “privacy bags” within the larger clear bag for sensitive items. The clear bag can also be placed in a curbside container so that it’s out of sight.
If waste management staff notice items in the clear bag that don’t belong in landfill, the bag won’t be accepted and staff may issue a warning to the resident. For residents concerned about properly sorting their waste, the district has an online tool called the Waste Wizard that specifies where items should go.
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