Have you noticed more than one collection truck going past your house? Or maybe it appeared one of your bins didn’t get collected? It’s not a mistake! The City has been implementing a dual pass collection system where one truck collects garbage and a second truck collects recycling, as opposed to a single truck collecting both into a load separated with a divider.
There are several advantages to this system. There is less chance of contamination in the loads (e.g. garbage in the recycling hopper). While the routes for each truck will be longer in the dual pass system, the total distance travelled is significantly less as each truck only needs to tip at one location—either the recycling depot or the landfill—instead of both. They also don’t need to tip as often, which also reduces the total kilometres travelled. Less travel distance is better for the environment, puts less wear and tear on our vehicles, and saves money in maintenance and fuel.
While the dual pass system has been in place since 2023 (for most zones), some residents may not be aware and may be wondering why their carts weren’t collected at the same time. No need to call into our Operations Centre—garbage and recycling or organics will both be collected on the same day per the collection calendar, just not necessarily at the same time. Look for decals on the sides of the trucks indicating which materials they are collecting that day.