Ottawa councillors green light green-bin fees
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 | 6:12 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
If the proposed fees pass city council, Ottawa residents will pay a $68 fee for the new green bin service, as well as a $41 fee for curbside recycling pickup.
(CBC)Councillors on the city of Ottawa's planning and environment committee have voted to charge homeowners directly for curbside organics and recycling pickup.
The committee voted six to two on Tuesday to add a $68 fee for the new green bin service, as well as a $41 fee for blue and black box pickup.
If passed by city council, the new fees will be added to the $86 residents already pay each year for regular garbage pickup, and will appear as separate charges on their property tax bills.
News of the proposed fees has angered many residents, particularly those who don't want to pay for the green bin program because they already compost their organic waste.
But Coun. Peter Hume, chair of the city's planning and environment committee, said Ottawa needs the green bin program.
"We have the second lowest diversion rate in the province of Ontario, and for a city like Ottawa, leading from the back of the pack is not where we should be."
Hume said the new fees will be fair because the cost of the waste programs will be removed from the general tax base.
The proposed fees will be considered by city council in January.
Share Tools
Latest Ottawa News Headlines
- Hundreds mourn Carleton suicide victim
- Hundreds of Carleton University students gathered outside a residence building Monday to observe a moment of silence for a fellow student who committed suicide on campus over the weekend. more »
- Ottawa sex workers fear predator

- CBC News looks at the fear on Ottawa's streets through the eyes of one long-time prostitute in part one of a CBC News investigation into the search for a serial predator. more »
- Wakefield shops adapt to life without train
- A slow summer without the Wakefield, Que., steam train and its uncertain future has forced some shop owners to change their way of doing things. more »
- Ottawa high school student missing
- Anton Rizk, 18, has been missing from Glebe Collegiate Institute since about 10 a.m. Monday and police are asking for the public's help to find him. more »
Top News Headlines
- Whitney Houston was found unconscious underwater, police say
- Whitney Houston was underwater and apparently unconscious in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel when found, Beverly Hills police said Monday. more »
- Mandatory gun sentence struck down by Ontario judge
- An Ontario Superior Court judge has struck down a mandatory minimum sentence for a first offence of possessing a loaded firearm. more »
- Online surveillance critics siding with child porn: Toews
- Critics of a bill that would give law enforcement new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications are aligning themselves with child pornographers, Canada's public safety minister says. more »
- Low vitamin D in womb tied to poor language skills
- Children born to women who had low levels of vitamin D during their pregnancy are more likely to have language problems, a new study suggests. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Omnibus crime bill could free more accused criminals
- Ottawa sex workers fear predator
- Carleton University confirms death of student
- Ottawa high school student missing
- Ice-breaking begins in flood-prone areas
- Ban Wi-Fi in classroom, Ontario teachers union urges
- Vacationing family hit with $10,000 movie bill
- Ontario government to sell LCBO headquarters
- Wakefield shops adapt to life without train

