Waterloo Region – Week two of the new cart-based waste collection begins today with the return to regularly scheduled bi-weekly garbage pickup.

Week one wrapped up yesterday (Monday) with crews working around the clock over the weekend to complete waste pick up for carts properly set out. All households received both garbage and organics collection last week to offer a fresh start as the new program rolls out. The Region’s contractor brought in additional trucks and staff from other communities to support, without additional cost to the Region.

“This was a community effort, and I want to thank everyone who helped us adjust to the new service,” said Olivia Kwok, Director of Waste Management at the Region of Waterloo. “We know that as residents get used to setting the carts out and operators get used to the new equipment and new routes, this process will be much smoother.” 

Many cases of missed collection were reported early and have since been resolved. For outstanding cases that are not picked up, the Region will reach out with next steps. Going forward, residents can continue to fill out a form to report collection issues.

To ensure pick up for this week, residents are being asked to:

• Park it: Place your carts at the end of your driveway or boulevard by 7 a.m. on your collection day.

• Point it: The arrows are pointed to the street, the handle facing your house.

• Space it: Give at least two feet of space on all sides so the truck can collect safely.

• Close it: Make sure your cart is not overfilled and the lid to your cart is closed. 

The Region’s Curbside Cart Education Team will also be out where they can, working ahead of the contractor’s trucks to help adjust carts so they’re ready for collection. This team will inform residents of any waste collection issues with a sticker and provide instructions to help guide them for the future.

Residents unsure about their collection day and schedule going forward can visit www.regionofwaterloo.ca/carts and enter their address into the map. The results will show their collection day and what week they have each service. Residents can also use the Waste Whiz app, which will be customized based on their address.

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