Your Trash Day Is Changing
Ottawa residents, heads up: your garbage and recycling schedule is about to shift. Starting March 30, 2026, the city is rolling out a new curbside collection contract, and the transition won't be seamless for everyone.
About 80,000 households across Ottawa could experience a gap of up to 17 days between garbage or recycling pickups as the city moves between schedules. In some cases, the opposite problem occurs: certain addresses will have two collections in the same week. Either way, things are going to feel a little off for a few weeks.
When Does It Kick In?
The transition period runs from March 30 to April 24, 2026. After that, things should settle into the new normal. During this stretch, the city is offering some flexibility: households can put out up to six garbage items at the curb (the usual limit is the standard containers only).
Good news on the green bin front, weekly organics collection is continuing without interruption throughout the transition.
What City Officials Are Saying
Andrea Gay Farley, the city's program manager for waste collection, acknowledged the disruption: "We know that changes to collection schedules can be an adjustment." She noted that affected residents have been sent letters and can find their updated pickup schedule on the City of Ottawa website.
Not everyone is taking it in stride. Rideau-Vanier Councillor Stéphanie Plante raised concerns about Sandy Hill, a neighbourhood with a large student population that may not be checking city mail. She proposed temporary drop-off bins to handle the overflow, warning that without them, "the only people who will benefit are raccoons and rats."
Barrhaven East Councillor Wilson Lo offered a more measured take, saying most residents in his ward are mildly annoyed but not furious, partly because the weather is still cool enough to keep garbage from becoming too unpleasant.
What You Should Do Now
If you haven't received a letter from the city yet, check the City of Ottawa's waste collection calendar online. Enter your address to get your new pickup schedule and find out if your collection days are changing.
And if your green bin is the workhorse of your household waste system, same as always, every week, no changes needed.
Source: CBC Ottawa
