Frequently Asked Questions

A. Collection may be delayed by one day during weeks when there is a statutory holiday (e.g., Canada Day, Remembrance Day, etc.). View the Collection Calendar for waste collection schedule changes.

A. All garbage placed at curbside requires a City of Orillia Garbage Tag. Each residential and commercial unit receives an annual allotment of 20 tags. Any additional tags required must be purchased. The City’s annual tag mailout is completed in June of each year. These tags are your allotment to cover the period from July 1 to June 30 the following year. Please visit the Waste Management Services web page, under the Garbage Tag Program drop down menu for more information regarding garbage tags.

Q. Why does the City only provide 20 tags to each household? There are 26 collections each year and that is not enough for one free bag each garbage week.

A. The City does not distribute the number of tags required for one garbage bag per bi-weekly set-out (or 26 tags/year). The City has decreased its distribution of garbage tags over the years to minimize the amount of garbage requiring disposal in our landfill while also incentivizing the use of the available recycling and green bin diversion programs. Please note, the City has been sending 20 tags in its annual garbage tag mailout since 2015. Any additional garbage tags required can be purchased at the City Centre (50 Andrew Street South), the Waste Diversion Site (100 Kitchener Street), or can be ordered online at OrilliaNow online portal or any of the following retailers listed on the Waste Management Services web page, under the Garbage Tag Program drop down menu.

The garbage tag program along with bi-weekly collection of garbage and the weekly collection of green bin organics and recycling have reduced the amount of garbage requiring disposal over the years, and with the implementation of the clear bag program we saw a 40% drop in the amount of garbage collected at the curb and a 16% increase in the amount of green bin organics (compost) and approximately 5% increase in recycling collected. This shows that the City's current waste programs, including the garbage tag program, are working as intended and are significantly reducing the amount of garbage being landfilled in Orillia because people are better utilizing the available diversion programs. This is vital to the community to preserve our remaining landfill capacity and addresses the Climate Action Plan Strategy.

A: Renters must contact their landlord for garbage tags or buy them directly. You can find where to buy garbage tags in Orillia on the Waste Management Services web page under the Garbage Tag Program drop down menu.

A. Orillia residents and businesses can purchase Recycling Boxes and Green Bins at the Waste Diversion Site located at 100 Kitchener St. Broken Recycling Boxes, Green Bins, and kitchen organics containers are exchanged free of charge (must be City of Orillia issued/branded bins or boxes). New residents can receive up to two Recycling Boxes, one Green Bin, and one kitchen container at no charge. Photo ID and proof of ownership or occupancy (rental agreement) are required. Otherwise, you can purchase the bins at the applicable rates. Please note: Residents who have owned their home for over a year are not considered new residents for the purpose of receiving bins at no charge.  Please visit the Waste Management Services web page, under the Tipping Fees and Sale of Goods Schedule drop down menu for more information.

A. Branches and sticks are collected in the Green Bin/Yard Waste curbside collection program if branches are up to 1 metre in length and the diameter is under 2.5 cm. You can use paper yard waste bags, certified compostable bags or a labelled rigid container for your Yard Waste. Labels are free and available from City Hall (Cashier's Desk) or the Waste Diversion Site. As of July 1, 2017, clear plastic bags are no longer accepted for collecting yard waste. Please note that paper and compostable bags are not emptied.

You can also bring yard waste to the Waste Diversion Site located at 100 Kitchener Street where it will be composted. Please visit the Waste Management Services web page, under the Tipping Fees and Sale of Goods Schedule drop down menu for more information. The City's Green Bin/Yard Waste Collection program runs year-round.  No garbage tag is required (except for grass clippings). The weight limit per bag or can is 20 kg (44 lbs). Garbage, Recycling & Green Bin/Yard Waste must be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. to ensure collection.

A. Grass clippings are only accepted at the curb for yard waste collection if the bag or can is tagged with a City of Orillia Garbage Tag. Please note: 

Ideally, grass clippings should be left on your lawn. Simply keep your mower blade sharp, cut when the grass is dry, set your mower at the proper height (2.5" - 3"), and mow regularly. Use a mower with a mulching blade for the best results.  Grass clippings can be composted in your backyard composter.  Orillia residents can drop off grass clippings in tagged bags or cans at the Waste Diversion Site. Lawn maintenance companies can also drop off this material if the grass clippings are from City of Orillia addresses and are properly tagged. Grass clippings can be set out at the curb and need to be tagged as follows: For a Compostable Bag - attach the tag over the twist tie to form a flag. For a Paper Bag - leave the bag open and place the tag on top of the grass clippings. For a Can - place the tag on top of the grass clippings (not on the lid).

Leaving grass clippings on your lawn does not cause thatch or spread lawn diseases, and won't damage your lawn when you mow regularly and at the proper height. The grass plant's nutrients can then naturally be recycled to the soil, which helps lawns become healthier.  So don't spend your time raking and bagging!   

No garbage tag is required for setting out leaves or other yard waste.

A. Pet waste is something the City will consider adding to the green bin program in the future; however, our current operations at the Waste Diversion Site do not allow for this material to be processed. Typically, these difficult materials are processed in high-tech, enclosed facilities while the City's current composting operations are low-tech, outdoor (not enclosed).

The City of Orillia co-collects food waste organics with leaf and yard waste and manages it at the Waste Diversion Site at 100 Kitchener Street. On average, the City manages approximately 4,500 tonnes of green bin organics. By comparison, the County of Simcoe (Couty) collects its green bin material (includes food waste and pet waste) separately from leaf and yard waste. The County manages leaf and yard waste at five of their waste management facilities in a similar low tech, outdoor composting operation that the City of Orillia uses, while their green bin material is hauled to a private, high tech organics processing facility (Bio-En located in Elmira, Ontario). The County typically collects and manages approximately 20,000 tonnes of leaf and yard waste and an additional 20,000 tonnes of green bin material (food and pet waste) per year.

Further, there are many potential impacts to consider when adding these types of materials including: increases plastic bags and contamination, health hazards for staff that monitor the compost, runoff from outdoor composting operations, effects of grit from cat litter and bacteria from faeces content in the pet waste, and the overall impact to the finished compost quality rating. 

• Road Construction Activities - Drivers are asked to collect from construction zones first thing in the morning so they can avoid all the construction vehicles once construction gets underway.
• Poor Weather Conditions - Icy roads or stormy weather can delay or cancel collection.
• New Collection Drivers - When new drivers start, they have to learn the collection routes and the rules. This takes time.
• Replacement Collection Drivers - If a driver calls in sick, it takes time to call another staff person in.
• Truck Breakdowns - With the collection trucks running all day, breakdowns do occur.
• Seasonal Fluctuations: The increase in waste set out after holidays, particularly Christmas, can slow drivers down as they have to pick up more material.

Residents are reminded to put garbage, green bin/yard waste, and recycling material to the curbside before 7:00 a.m. on the designated collection day to ensure collection.

A. The City's waste collector (Mid Ontario Disposal) uses divided co-collection trucks to collect garbage and green bin/yard waste in separate compartments of the same truck.
Green bin/yard waste is dropped off separately at our compost site located at the Waste Diversion Site (Map) where it is processed into compost. The purpose of using co-collection vehicles is to reduce collection costs by reducing the number of collection vehicles on the road. 

What are the benefits of tap water?

A. Economical. Tap water is significantly cheaper than bottled water. A litre of tap water costs tenths of a cent while, on average, a 500 mL bottle of water can cost eight cents when buying in bulk or as much as $2.50 from a vending machine. Consider 90% of the cost of bottled water is for packaging, shipping and marketing rather than the water itself. It makes more financial sense to buy a reusable water bottle and fill it with tap water. 

Safe

Municipal tap water is regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that has strict regulations for treatment, distribution and testing of drinking water.

Bottled water is regulated under the Food and Drug Act. As it is looked upon as a food, sampling requirements are not as strict. Labels on bottled water that are not spring or mineral water do not have to specify the source of water which could in fact be from a municipal water supply.

Better for the Environment

Tap water is transported from the municipal water treatment supply and travels less than 10km to you. There is no packaging required to deliver tap water to you. 

While water bottles are accepted in Orillia’s recycling program, some bottles still end up in the garbage if they are not sorted and go to landfill. What does end up at the landfill takes hundreds of years to decompose. Other environmental issues to consider are the resources it takes to extract the water, to transport and distribute to you.  In addition, water resources are wasted when up to three times as much water is used than necessary to fill a bottle.

What are some tips for a Waste-Free Christmas?

A. Wrapping paper (excluding foil wrap) can be included for recycling with your newspaper. Here are some tips to reduce waste at Christmas:

• Use reusable Christmas bags for gifts
• Use newspaper or comics to wrap gifts
• Wrap gifts in tea towels, blankets, fabric, scarves or tins
• Save wrapping paper, ribbons and bows from this year to use for next Christmas
• Save Christmas cards from this year to use as tags next year
• Reduce the number of cards you send by e-mailing or calling those casual business acquaintances                                     
• Give gifts that are durable and that people really need
• Give gift certificates for a service (babysitting, massages, snow shovelling) or tickets to a local event (support community events)
• Give gifts with the environment or wildlife in mind (e.g. bird feeders and seed)
• Avoid gifts that are over-packaged
• Avoid over-shopping for food that may go to waste
• Don't use disposable dishes

How should I set out my waste in the winter?

During winter months, if you don't have room on your driveway to place your Recycling Boxes and Green Bin, please cut a notch halfway up in the snow bank at the right edge of your driveway (when facing the
road).  Place your recycling boxes and green bin on this notch. This will greatly help the collectors and avoid damage to your Recycling Boxes and Green Bin from snow clearing equipment.