Officials appeal for residents’ cooperation

It appears, however, that the great majority of Verdun residents are ready to endorse this green shift. Only about 50 people have expressed their opinions to the Borough – a somewhat small number considering that the entire community is affected by the new measures.

In an operation with such a vast scope, collection mistakes are inevitable. This was the case, for example, in de La noue Street in L'Île-des-Soeurs where inappropriate bins were distributed. In this area, there are “condo-plexes” and individual meetings were held with occupants of these dwellings in order to determine the type and number of bins required for each group of units. Everything should be ready for the first day of the new collection procedure scheduled for Monday, October 20.

The majority of complaints expressed have to do with the hours for putting recycling waste outside homes for collection. Bins and bags must be placed in their designated locations between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. on the scheduled day. This timing has incurred the discontent of several residents.

A few residents also confirm that the frequency of the collection (once a week) is insufficient given the volume of household waste. This opinion is not shared by the people who are responsible for this issue – in fact, they have the opposite opinion. They based their decision on the experiences of people from everywhere in the metropolitan region and to support the fact that people quickly get accustomed to adopting better habits when they are encouraged to.

Ginette Marotte, president of the Council’s Commission of the Environment believes that the Borough does not have a choice. “People should take this responsibility when it comes to the environment. It’s a collective project”, she explained. At any rate, estimates are that these new measures will cost between $1.5 million and $3 million more annually for collecting garbage and recyclable materials if the new procedures are implemented.

Mayor Claude Trudel has not dismissed the possibility of adapting the plan to specific problems that can occur during the implementation process.