A consultant told the solid waste authority limiting trash bags increases waste diversion from landfills. (CBC News)

Residents in Windsor-Essex could one day face a limit on the number of garbage bags they set out for curb side pickup.

That's one of 13 recommendations made by a consultant advising regional officials on how to divert trash from the landfill in Windsor-Essex.

The province has set a 60-per-cent residential waste diversion target. The amount of waste being recycled or composted in Windsor-Essex stands at 38 per cent.

To increase that percentage, the consultant recommended a three-bag limit.

The report indicates more than 100 communities across Ontario have bag limits on garbage. In most of those communities, the diversion rate has climbed above 50 per cent, the consultant said.

Looking for cost effectiveness

Another recommendation is a program to recycle kitchen organic waste. That would provide the greatest opportunity for increasing waste diversion, but it's costly.

City councillor Drew Dilkens is chairman of the solid waste authority. He said it will explore which of the less costly ideas are reasonable at this time.

"Administration is going to go back and pull out the low-hanging fruit here because there are some [steps] we can take and implement fairly quickly," he said.

Some of those suggestions are as simple as providing residents with bigger blue bins.

County warden Tom Bain also said some of the cheaper ideas could be done quickly:

"We're hoping to begin with a report back in April and really taking a look at what they're calling the low-hanging fruit, the simpler recommendations that aren't going to be that costly," he said. "And yet, I believe we can we reduce approximately eight to nine per cent going into the landfill."

New ad campaign

The solid waste authority has also hired a marketing company. It has developed a promotional campaign designed to encourage more recycling.

The campaign includes a frog character and the slogan "Hop to It - We can recycle more."

Cameron Wright, the manager of waste diversion, said the campaign is aimed at children and women. It has been determined they are the primary recyclers in the household.

A survey of residents discovered residents are confused about what they can and can't recycle and why they should recycle.