Garbage pickup to become biweekly in Montreal suburb in bid to cut carbon footprint

A man looks for salvageable pieces among discarded household items left on the sidewalk after last weekend’s moving day, in Montreal, Tuesday, July 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

The task of taking out the trash will soon be biweekly for residents in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

The Montreal suburb says it will begin collecting garbage once every two weeks, year-round, starting in November.

It’s part of a goal to repurpose 70 per cent of waste by 2025, up from the current 43 per cent, said the city.

“It is our collective responsibility to take action to reduce our environmental footprint. Every action undertaken today is meaningful and ensures a better future for generations to come,” said Mayor Paola Hawa in a news release Friday.

The city is encouraging people to visit its website for a how-to guide on sorting waste. An information booth will also be set up at the Naturally Sainte-Anne community event on Saturday.

In March, the city announced it would stop picking up garbage from businesses along its waterfront strip and encouraged composting as an alternative. The move upset some business owners, who said there should have been more consultation.

At the time, Mayor Hawa said the community produces some of the most garbage on the entire island of Montreal.

Friday’s announcement comes less than one month after the City of Montreal released a progress report on waste reduction.

It found the amount of waste per person dropped in 2022, but at the same time, fewer people were composting.

It also suggested a reduced waste collection schedule could be on the horizon, as the only landfill in Montreal is set to reach capacity by 2027.