Norfolk curbside garbage pickup to go biweekly in 2026

Luke Edwards

Grant Haven Media

Garbage day in Norfolk will be every other week once the new contract begins in September 2026.

Biweekly collection is the latest approved change as the county prepares for a new waste collection system that takes into account changes to recycling rules and a push to divert waste from landfills that are rapidly filling up in Ontario. Norfolk already approved incorporating a green bin program to collect organics.

With the changes expected to be costly for Norfolk taxpayers, councillors directed staff to put out a request for proposals that allowed for various waste collection systems to find the cheapest option. However, only one bid was submitted, with proposed biweekly collection and an automated system that uses specialized carts being the cheapest version.

“I’m very disappointed we only had one bid,” said Coun. Doug Brunton.

The bid also comes with a steep price increase, with a staff report saying it’ll be between 85 and 90 per cent higher than the previous contract. This is common, though, with other municipalities reporting similar and even higher increases.

“Another municipality, had it kept its existing service model, would have faced a 132 per cent increase. Instead, by adjusting its collection program, the increase was reduced to 94 per cent,” the report said.

The 2025 budget included just over $2 million for waste collection, at $145 per tonne. The approved system would cost just over $254 a tonne, or about $3.54 million annually. Weekly and manual collection methods would have raised it as high as $325 a tonne.

Other potential bidders for the contract backed out, mostly citing an “inability to compete effectively, either due to current market conditions, resource limitations, or pricing challenges,” the report said.

Moving to the automated collection system also includes a significant cost to purchase the carts. As part of the staff report, councillors approved just over $5 million be included in next year’s budget to cover the cost of those costs. However, that money will come from the county’s Legacy Fund, meaning it won’t impact the levy.

With the automated collection, residents won’t be able to pay to leave an extra bag or two. Instead, staff said they’ll have to go to the local transfer station.

“If it’s in your cart it will get picked up,” said Merissa Bokla, supervisor of waste management.