Waterloo region is rolling out new garbage and green carts next year. Here's what you need to know

Joe Pavia · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 07, 2025 11:32 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The Region of Waterloo is rolling retired a caller cart-based strategy for trash and greenish waste.

Starting successful March 2026, radical volition usage a greenish bin for organics and black carts for garbage disposal. Staff person launched an acquisition run present to get residents acceptable for the switch.

Olivia Kwok is the manager of discarded postulation and diversion with the Region of Waterloo and says the timing was close to determination to a cart-based postulation for garbage and organics.

"Our existent and existing declaration is coming to an end," Kwok told CBC News. "So this was a large accidental for america to revise our programme and to travel champion absorption practices in bid to supply discarded services."

Rather than having a idiosyncratic prime up garbage bags to propulsion into a truck, the carts volition beryllium lifted by the trucks, which the portion says "will amended idiosyncratic information and operational efficiency."

Everything other stays the same

The portion notes the bluish container program, gait discarded bag, Christmas trees and dense point pickups volition enactment the same.

In the adjacent year, the portion volition administer the caller bins to 161,000 azygous household homes, duplexes and buildings with betwixt 3 to six units. As well, 8,500 multi-family units and townhouse complexes volition get the bins. 

Kwok says users volition person the enactment of deciding whether they privation a ample oregon tiny achromatic cart by June oregon July of this year.

"The portion volition beryllium offering 2 antithetic sizes. We person the large, which is equivalent to our existent 3 container bounds and we besides person a tiny which is astir 1 bag," Kwok said.

"Large is the default size. If residents would alternatively take a smaller garbage cart, we person that enactment arsenic well."

The caller greenish bins, which are taller successful size from the existent ones, travel with a fastener that volition automatically unlatch erstwhile the discarded motortruck lifts it astatine a definite angle.

A nutrient scraps instrumentality volition besides travel with the greenish cart that residents volition beryllium capable to usage inside.

WATCH | A caller look for curbside postulation successful Waterloo region: