Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Strategy

Dear Property Managers, Property Owners, Superintendents and Condo Boards, in the City of Ottawa,

The City of Ottawa is transitioning to a mandatory organics program, for all properties in the multi-residential sector starting this fall. Multi-residential properties (buildings with 6 units or more) that receive waste collection services from the City of Ottawa will transition to the organics program with help from Solid Waste Services staff from the fall of 2024 to the winter of 2028.

This initiative would see the City implement requirements for all multi-residential properties to implement and participate in the City’s Green Bin program in order to receive City waste management services, in accordance with the City’s Multi-residential waste diversion strategy.

Increased diversion of organics in the multi residential sector aligns with Objective 2 of the City’s Solid Waste Master Plan, which sets out to Maximize the Recycling of Waste. Actions under this objective that have the biggest impact on keeping waste out of the landfill are recommended for prioritizing in the short-term (0-5 years). Diverting more waste not only extends the life of the landfill but decreases GHG emissions and can help to generate revenue opportunities to offset the cost of those programs. Further, bringing the green bin to all Multi-residential properties to increase waste diversion in the multi-residential sector supports the following provincial direction and City initiatives:

• The Province’s Food and Organic Waste Policy Statement provides direction to multi-residential properties to increase waste reduction and resource recovery of food and organic waste. The Provincial target for multi-residential properties is 50% waste reduction and recovery of food and organic waste by 2025.
• The Province of Ontario is committed to phasing out food and organic waste from landfills by 2030.
• The City’s Energy Evolution project calls for 98% organics diversion from landfill and 100% diversion of paper products.
  
  

If your building has an existing organics diversion program in place, this information is for awareness only.

Background

From 2024 to 2028, the City will onboard the remaining 1,050 properties that currently don’t have the green bin onsite using a four-tier process as outlined in the MRWDS legislative update from May. The City will support residents and the property management sector through the onboarding process to ensure the program is successfully adopted. If you are a property owner or management company who manages more than one Multi-residential property in Ottawa, please work with your site managers to ensure this information is distributed accordingly to all of your properties.

Property manager responsibilities

Currently, property managers are responsible for setting up waste disposal areas and providing ongoing recycling support. Soon, you will also be responsible for providing organics collection support for your building’s residents with the following:

• Providing residents with equally accessible, color-coded containers for recycling, and organics use.;
• Providing recycling and organics information and education to building residents and staff as required to ensure compliance with City’s Solid Waste Management By-law;
• Ensuring that waste, recycling, and organics containers are only placed out at the appropriate collection times;
• Informing residents of the garbage, recycling and organics collection services available onsite; and,
• Informing the City of Ottawa of collection service issues and updating contact information for collection services, as required by contacting 3-1-1.

Onboarding process

• Properties will receive an email approximately one month prior to the start of their tier's onboarding, with their schedule and onboarding toolkit.
• Solid Waste Services staff will call Property Managers to answer their questions, provide information about the onboarding process and arrange the following details:
  • A date for a public education and outreach event
  • A timeline for when Solid Waste Inspectors (SWIs) will set up organics collection services
  • Green bin and kitchen container requirements and delivery details
    • Environmental Education Assistants (EEAs) can distribute kitchen containers as part of outreach, which helps encourage program participation with residents.
• At this time, property managers must identify the order of the properties they would prefer to onboard and ask questions they may have about the onboarding process.
• After, a Solid Waste Inspector will call the property manager to support onboarding building operations further.

Onboarding schedule

All properties that are not on the organics program have been classified by the City of Ottawa within tiers 1 to 3. The tier classification is based on frequency of collections and property size. The onboarding process will be phased in over the next 4 years, with all remaining properties divided into tiers as outlined below:

• Tier 1:Properties with additional regularly scheduled collection
  • Schedule for onboarding: Q4 (October to December) 2024 to Q2 (April to June) 2025
    
    
• Tier 2:Properties with under 100 units
  • Schedule for onboarding: Q2 (April to June) 2025 to Q3 (July-September) 2027
    
    
• Tier 3:Properties with over 100 units
  • Schedule for onboarding: Q4 (October to December) 2027 to Q2 (April -June) 2028

The City understands that some properties may have physical constraints, that may prevent them from onboarding in their respective tiers. When contacted by the City, properties with such limitations are asked to self-identify as tier 4.

• Tier 4:

• These property managers will be contacted by a Solid Waste Inspector and Solid Waste Inspectors will confirm properties that move into tier 4 from a visual inspection on site.
• These properties will have additional time to work with the City and develop diversion implementation plan to ensure an organics program is in place by the end of 2028.

Refusal to onboard

• It is the responsibility of Property Owners and Property Managers to inform the City of contact changes and failure to do so may result in missing communications from the City of Ottawa.
• There will be an escalation process involving communication attempts in writing and in person from the City of Ottawa to onboard properties to the green bin.
• Properties that refuse to onboard to the green bin program following these attempts may be removed from city collection services.

We recognize that transitioning to the organics program may seem like a big change for some of our multi-residential properties, we look forward to supporting the successful implementation of the green bin program through ongoing collaboration with the property management sector. For additional information regarding the green bin onboarding process, please connect by email at multires@ottawa.ca or 3-1-1.

To update your property’s contact information, please call 3-1-1. For details about the City of Ottawa’s Green Bin program, please visit Ottawa.ca/greenbin. .

Thank you for continuing to do your part to help keep food and organic waste from the City’s landfill!

On May 29, 2024, Council received an update on the implementation of the multi-residential waste diversion strategy. which requires multi-residential properties to participate in the Green Bin program in order to receive waste collection services from the City. Multi-residential buildings account for 17 per cent of residential waste collected by the City. Of the multi-residential waste sent to landfill, about 58 per cent could have been recycled or put in the green bin. Providing these properties with the opportunity to divert organic waste helps the City reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while in turn prolonging the life of the Trail Waste Facility Landfill.

The City currently collects waste from approximately 2,300 multi-residential properties, of which about 52 per cent have a Green Bin program. From Q3 2024 to the end of 2028 the City will onboard the remaining properties through a mandatory process. The City will support residents with dedicated education and outreach to help them use a green bin, and work with property managers to address challenges and successfully introduce the program at their properties.

The total cost for onboarding all remaining properties is approximately $5.6 million over the next four years. This report also provided an update on the 2026 multi-residential collection contract, which includes new provisions to improve efficiency and to align with the City’s waste diversion initiatives.

To view the report visit Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Strategy Update

Ottawa City Council received and approved the Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Strategy report on April 27^th, 2022. The report recommended that Council:

1. 1. Approve the scope, framework, and project pillars for the Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Strategy; and,
   
2. Direct staff to finalize the detailed cost analysis and implementation plan for onboarding all multi-residential properties to a mandatory organics diversion program, and report back to Council in the first half of 2023.

Read the full strategy here.

What are the next steps?

Beginning June 1, 2022, any property that begins receiving City collection services would be required to participate in the Green Bin program.

Multi-residential properties already receiving City waste collection can continue to sign up for the program voluntarily for the remainder of 2022.

Staff will work on developing an implementation plan to onboard all remaining multi-residential properties to the Green Bin program. An update on the implementation plan, including the timeline and program requirements, will be shared with City Council in 2023.

Engagement on the Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Strategy has ended, thank you for providing your feedback. A “What we Learned Report” , summarizing feedback from residents, the property management sector, City Councillors and the Solid Waste Master Plan’s Stakeholder Sounding Board has been completed. Feedback will contribute to the implementation of the Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Strategy.