New waste policies to be implemented
By Chris Fell - Express Staff

The new garbage policies of the Municipality of Meaford are set to take effect in two weeks.

For the entire municipality neither garbage nor recycling collection days will change but residents will notice some changes and improvements in other aspects of waste collection.

One of the bigger changes will see the public from across the municipality allowed to drop off compost material right at the compost site on Stewart Street in Meaford. Staff will be at the machine site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 am to 12 noon to collect compost material dropped off from residents. All citizens of the Municipality of Meaford are allowed to drop off compost material at the site.

"We need to make the public aware that compost drop off at the site is available to them," said town councillor and Waste Management Chair Harley Greenfield. "I know there's some people in the country areas that can't get to their backyard composter because of the snow and they're welcome to come use the machine in town," he said.

For the time being and the near future home compost pick up will only be conducted in the former town of Meaford.

"There will be no home pick up in the township areas. As of now that's not going to happen. We've discussed and discussed that issue to death, but I think there's more opportunity for rural people to dispose of compost material. At this time home pick up in the rural area is not in the works," said Greenfield.

Councillor Greenfield said the efficiency of the compost machine has been greatly improved in recent months because three local restaurants and two area grocery stores have been sending in compost material made up of waste food products. "We've had two tonnes of material that's of good quality. Things are already starting to decompose and it's helping the final product start looking really good," said Greenfield.

In addition to the option of dropping off compost material Meaford is also implementing a new bag tag policy that takes effect on Monday April 2. Citizens will notice no change in the collection of garbage - garbage days in the entire municipality remain the same and the contractors have also been rehired - but the bag tag system has been overhauled. Residents received an orange flyer last week in the mail outlining the new bag tag policy that will allow all homes to place one bag or container of garbage at the roadside with no tag attached, but a second bag or container must have a tag in a visible place. Only two bags of garbage are allowed to be put out in a week. The bag tags cost $2 and are available at several commercial outlets throughout the municipality, tags can also be ordered by mail. The new bag tag policy is in place across the Municipality of Meaford in both town and township areas. Bag tags from the town of Meaford's former system still held by residents in town are eligible to be used.