Hamilton ONE + one Policy

"Hamilton ONE + one Policy", February 2009

I don't know about the rest of you, but not that much thought goes into what I put at the side of the curb every Sunday evening. Don't get me wrong, I recycle as much as I can and use the green bin often, but other than that I don't think much about my trash. It seems as though Hamilton has finally caught on to the idea that not everyone is ecologically minded, and as a result are implementing a policy with the aim to reduce the amount of garbage going to landfills. If you are living in a student house with multiple inhabitants and put out more than a can of garbage each week you should definately read up on this new policy!

When the green bin program started in Hamilton in 2006, it allowed for a lot of the food wastes collected in homes to be removed without going to a landfill. However, this new program will hopefully remove even more waste from landfills over the next two years.

It is believed that up to 85% of waste that ends up in a landfill can actually be recycled.

As of March 30 2009, households will only be permitted to put one garbage can (23kg/135L) and one CLEAR plastic bag out for pickup. If the collectors notice there is a significant amount of organic or recyclable materials in the plastic bag they will not pick it up, due to the fact that the material could have been placed elsewhere. The ONE + one program will last until April 2, 2010. After that date households will only be permitted to put out one garbage can weekly, in addition to organic and regular recycling.

There are of course exceptions to these rules (i.e. grace periods after holidays, or there are three or more children under five years old in the house). You can find out more information from Hamilton's Waste Management websites. You can also find out where to pick up blue boxes (which are FREE and unlimited in Hamilton) from the aforementioned website too.