Clear Bag for Waste Collection Proposed Implementation Plan Draft for WMAC Discussion Purposes

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1 Draft for WMAC Discussion Purposes Introduction Mandatory use of clear bags for garbage is one mechanism used to change behaviour and motivate participation in diversion programs by: a) Increasing awareness of what is placed in the garbage due to visibility of bag contents; b) Eliminating (or minimizing) the option of concealing recyclables and organics in the garbage; and c) Facilitating enforcement of Niagara Region s Waste Management By-Law and specifically the curbside bans. Based on various program implementations and pilot results, a summary of key clear bag program benefits and challenges follows below. 1.1 Clear Bag Program Benefits: Increased diversion impact with documented results as high as a 41% decrease in residential waste; Residents indicated that they became more aware of the items they were placing in the garbage; Health and safety benefits for the collection drivers - clear garbage bags allow collectors to see any hazardous waste or other health and safety contamination e.g. syringes, and leave the bags at the curb with an information sticker alerting the residents of the problem (Markham observation); Collectors and Regional By-law Enforcement Officers can perform more rapid and more effective curbside enforcement of the by-law. 1.2 Clear Bag Program Challenges: Perception of invasion of privacy, which can be partially addressed by allowing an opaque bag inside the clear bag, and/or allowing curbside service users to set-out the clear bag inside a reusable container (important for rural residents); Where reusable container is used, enforcement may become more difficult if drivers dump the contents of a garbage can directly into the truck as opposed to pulling the bags out of the can; Requirements to purchase slightly more expensive clear plastic bags, which are made of virgin materials; and Curbside program confusion/added complexity (based on number of potential significant changes occurring in new contract e.g. garbage bag/can limit reduction, every other week garbage collection).

2 Page Background In order to reach the Region s goal of 65% residential waste diversion by 2012, changes to current waste collection services were proposed in the Level of Service Study. The Council approved Level of Service implementation strategy recommends that a pilot be considered for implementation after the Region determines how the every other week and/or reduced garbage bag/can limits would impact the diversion rate. Based on monitoring and evaluation of waste collection changes that would be in effect beginning March 1, 2011, the pilot would be implemented in 2013 to WMAC had presented previous motions to Waste Management Planning Steering Committee (WMPSC) which expressed support for implementing a clear bag pilot as soon as possible. At the April 14, 2009 meeting, WMAC requested that staff prepare an implementation plan for either a Region-wide launch or an accelerated pilot. This request was based on the positive diversion results reported in various presentations/reports and most recently in The Use of Clear Bags for Garbage as a Waste Diversion Strategy: Background Research on Clear Garbage Bag Programs across North America. The background reports have been previously presented/distributed to both WMAC and WMPSC. 3.0 Clear Bag Implementation Options The two clear bag implementation options consist of full-scale Regional clear bag program launch, which could occur as part of the new collection contract on March 1, 2011, or a two month pilot project. Examples of Ontario clear bag pilot programs include Markham (completed), Durham Region (report in progress) and Quinte Region (pilot in progress). Full programs have been in place in 21 municipalities in Ontario, of which Guelph is the largest (population 115,000) and the remainder are very rural in nature (population less than 10,501). The Province of Nova Scotia (33 of the 55 municipal units) and PEI also have clear bag programs. Most recently, Hamilton has initiated a hybrid two bag/can system with one opaque bag and one clear bag allowed per household. Appendix 1 contains a summary of programs. General pros and cons of a full-scale Regional clear bag launch (part of the new collection contract on March 1, 2011) versus a pilot are listed below: 3.1 Full-Scale Implementation Pros: Included as new contract deployment and rolled into new collection contract Social Marketing and Outreach campaign and overall implementation strategy; Avoided pilot costs of $40,000 to $50,000.

3 Page 3 Cons: Resident confusion given the number of potentially substantial service changes e.g. bag/can limit reduction, every other week waste collection. 3.2 Pilot Pros: Ability to test incremental diversion increase associated with impact of clear bag combined with every other week waste collection vs every other week waste collection; Completion of householder survey (before and after the pilot) to determine satisfaction with each collection scenario and potential areas for improvement from the customer s perspective e.g. communication and outreach material, enforcement mechanisms, etc. Cons: Lack of resident acceptance may discourage full scale implementation; Unclear pilot effectiveness/diversion results (e.g. as was the case for Markham s pilot due to auditing and set-out study flaws) would be a barrier against full implementation; Clear bag pilot not budgeted for in 2009; and Social Marketing and Outreach Campaign will be initiated in 2010 for the new collection contract service changes and therefore could be confusing to residents. 3.3 Key program design considerations in each case include: Parameter Pilot Full Regional Implementation Budget Impact Additional $40,000 - $50,000 for pilot plus new contract deployment costs related to promotion & education and potentially additional outreach/enforcement Social Marketing and Outreach Outreach mechanisms are tested and public input requested as part of pilot, followed by a redesign as appropriate for Region-wide launch (can be retested through focus groups) Included with new contract deployment costs related to promotion & education and potentially additional outreach/enforcement Developed based on other municipalities experiences and designed to reflect Niagara specific issues (can be tested through focus groups)

4 Page 4 Program Design Designed to test various collection scenarios and based on best practices /more successful elements of existing programs or completed pilots Designed on best practices /more successful elements of existing programs or completed pilots 4.0 Implementation Plan For both the full launch or pilot scenario, the following components would be completed as part of the implementation plan. 4.1 Social Marketing and Outreach Strategy Various outreach, communication and education tools will be used to prompt users to participate in the clear bag/diversion programs and to create norms for the new changes. Many elements proposed in the Level of Service Social Marketing & Public Education Strategy, May, 2008 would be utilized in a clear bag program. A consultant would be engaged to finalize and implement the strategy. A highlight of the outreach mechanisms to be used, which are documented in detail in the Level of Service Social Marketing & Public Education Strategy, include: Media releases, backgrounder, fact sheets, newspaper/radio ad campaign, Regional publications (Green Scene, Smart Gardening e-newsletter, Daily Apple and PH s News Bytes, landfill flyers) and Regional website; Presentations at various venues, displays and school outreach; Initiate workshops for the Region s WMAC and PLC/CLC members and other residents, that include tips, techniques and how to s so that they can be ambassadors for the program; Launch of dedicated 800-line to answer resident questions/concerns; Addition of extra staff (students) for door-to door/curbside outreach activities targeting all sectors using curbside waste collection and extra staff on the Waste Management Info-Line and for the launch of dedicated 800-line; Customer Service Representative and general staff training. The Social Marketing and Outreach Strategy will need to deal with the following special program considerations, which may be more unique to Niagara Region: If Council approves every other week garbage collection and reduced garbage bag/can limits, there may be too many significant changes at once for some residents. This could cause confusion and add complexity to the set-out. There is also a movement away from plastic one time use bags across Ontario and specifically in Niagara:

5 Page 5 Niagara just finished the plastics bag ban in the Green Bin and leaf/yard material collection program. The implication is that in one program, the plastic bags are being banned and in another, we would be making use of the bags mandatory, which could add to confusion (i.e. promoting reusable containers vs. use of plastic bags, etc). Grocery stores are encouraging use of reusable bags and/or are applying a small fee for bags. The implication is that residents would have to buy opaque bags for use as the privacy bag in the clear bag. The clear bag for garbage cannot be made from recycled plastic. The cost of the clear bag is higher than the opaque bag, which may yield criticism similar to the complaints received regarding the cost of the paper leaf bags. The strategy would also include targeted messaging to address: Perception of invasion of privacy to be partially addressed by allowing an opaque bag inside the clear bag, and/or allowing curbside service users to setout the clear bag inside a reusable container (important for rural residents); Illegal dumping and potential for increased open burning of garbage in rural areas; and Notification to users to allow time to use up their solid coloured bags. 4.2 Enforcement Increased collection time at the curb is expected under a clear bag program as the collection contractor would need to spend additional time to enforce curbside bans (i.e. reviewing general contents at the curb and tagging the material with the identified problem). In the Region s case, the collection contract stipulates that the collector is obligated to perform a certain level of enforcement and the By-Law officers will deal with escalated issues. Town of Markham Clear Garbage Bag Project, Final Report, December 2008 flagged one potential enforcement challenge that Niagara would likely also face: The Town found that residents prefer to use plastic garbage cans for aesthetics and for rodent prevention. Drivers dump the contents of a garbage can into the truck and do not pull the bags out of the garbage can. As a cautionary note, prior to a full program launch, a municipality should consider the impact garbage cans have on a clear bag pilot and conduct a curbside set out survey to determine the percentage of cans vs. bags that are being used within their community. The necessary training sessions would be provided to the collection staff by the Collection Contract Supervisors and/or By-law staff. Typically a powerpoint presentation is made and fact sheets are distributed to the contractor staff for reference. 4.3 Other Implementation Details a) Notification to retailers to ensure clear bag availability (minimum 6-month for full launch, free bags to be provided for pilot).

6 b) Complete baseline monitoring. Clear Bag for Waste Collection Page 6 c) Based on expected impact on diversion programs, ensure extra diversion containers are in stock e.g. Green Bins along with copies of education and communication materials. d) Establish procedures at landfill sites/drop-off depots for random spot checks to ensure all bagged waste is in a clear bag and that the by-law is being followed. Revise by-law for full launch. e) Update the draft pilot plan to reflect revised timelines and approved Level of Service Implementation Strategy and create detailed implementation plan for a full launch combined with other program changes. Timeline Recommendations It is recommended that: 1. If a full launch is approved by Council, the clear bag program be implemented in 2013 or 2014, after the other program changes take effect on March 1, 2011 to avoid confusing residents with multiple program changes at the same time. 2. If a clear bag pilot program is approved by Council, implementation would occur in 2013 or 2014 in order to avoid: a) conflicting with the Social Marketing and Outreach Campaign that will be initiated in 2010 for the new collection contract service changes, and b) confusing residents during the actual contract change in 2011, assuming every other week garbage collection is approved late 2009/early Appropriate budgeting for a full launch/pilot be made in the appropriate budget year. Based on the fact that every other week garbage collection is expected to yield savings and GHG reductions in addition to increased diversion, this behaviour change incentive should be made a priority. In many jurisdictions e.g. some municipalities in Nova Scotia, Markham and Durham, every other week garbage collection was implemented prior to considering clear bag. L:\2007 Beyond\E07 Waste Management Planning\Clear Bag\Clear Bag Implementation Plan.doc