Eastern Regional Service Board’s Clear Bag Policy starts on January 1, 2024

News Release- ERSB’s Clear Bag Policy Starts on January 1, 2024

The Eastern Regional Service Board (the Board) will officially transition to clear bags for all household garbage collected by ERSB contractors after New Year’s Day.  Starting January 1, 2024, ERSB customers will place their regular household garbage out for collection every week in clear, standard-sized plastic garbage bags.  The Board announced the change in June 2023 to give our valued customers time to adjust and would like to thank everyone who has already switched to clear bags over the past six months.

In the home, using clear bags for regular household garbage provides a visual reminder of what we are discarding.  This encourages people to be mindful of their waste generation, consumption habits, and potentially, inspire them to recycle more and reduce wastage.  Using clear bags will make sorting garbage and recycling more efficient.  Clear bags also help ensure that household hazardous waste such as batteries are diverted from going to the landfill.  Clear bags protect collectors by allowing them quickly to identify the contents of a bag, minimizing the risk of coming into contact with sharp objects and other unsafe contents.

Municipalities across Canada using clear bags have reported an increase in how many recyclables are diverted from the garbage once clear bags were introduced.  Clear bags were introduced in Central Newfoundland in 2015, Western Newfoundland and Mount Pearl in 2017, and St. John’s in 2022.

Each household may use one privacy bag every week.  As always, there is no limit on the number of blue bags customers can place curbside on any scheduled recycling day.

Beginning on January 1, 2024, customers will place their discards curbside in this matter:
Clear bags (standard sized, coulourless, see-through) for all weekly household garbage.
Opague (non-see through) garbage bag of any colour for weekly privacy garbage.
Blue Bags (unlimited number) for recycling materials only on scheduled recycling days.