The city of Montreal plans to split up garbage collection in all boroughs every two weeks.
Garbage collection has always been a major problem for big cities.
All year round, but especially in summer or spring, rubbish accumulates along the streets causing foul smells.
The local authorities are considering the initiative following the success of a pilot project in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district. This project could be expanded and extended to other parts of the city.
Many citizens of the metropolis are worried about the city’s initiative, amid fears that unsanitary conditions on the streets will increase.
“It’s still complicated. It will probably accumulate, it won’t be great. Right now you can’t walk too much on the sidewalks. That could get pretty complicated,” said one citizen.
Another citizen interviewed by TVA Nouvelles puts the situation into perspective by saying that Montreal is cleaner than many other cities in the world. However, she remains pessimistic.
“In general it’s pretty clean. But it depends on the districts. There are some neighborhoods where you go straight to the garbage cans.
Another lady is worried. She is already anticipating the consequences.
“Oh no! It’s going to do too much damage everywhere. People don’t pay attention. They throw garbage anyway. It’s going to be disastrous.”
According to Valérie Plante’s administration, the measure aims to make people aware of their weekly waste consumption. In addition, we assume that, in small steps, the population will separate their waste better and thus reduce the amount of residues in landfills in the Montreal region.