Gatineau plans special meeting as residents raise stink about garbage pickup

Gatineaucity councillors will hold a special meetingto respond to the garbage woes plaguing the city following the implementation of a new bylaw on garbage pickup limits.

SinceJuly 15, Gatineau households have been prevented from throwing out bulky items and construction waste on their regular garbage day one of the city's new rules designed to divert compostable and recyclable materials from its dump.

Manyresidents are complaining, however, that people are now illegally dumping garbage on the edges of streets and on other people's properties.

Louise Boudrias, Gatineau's deputy mayor, announced on social mediaFriday evening that a special meeting will take place on Aug.23 to tackle the issue.

"For me, a meeting that is organized and whereall elected officials want to be there, I think the results will be better," Boudriassaid in a French-language interview with Radio-Canada.

A meeting to find solutions

While some city councillorsare asking the city to undothe changes entirely, others want more flexibility around the limits.

I don't think the situation is alarming, but I am following the situation very closely.- MaudeMarquise-Bissonnette, Gatineau city councillor

Maude Marquise-Bissonnette, councillor for the Plateau district and chair of the city's environment commission, told Radio-Canada that anypotential solutions could be brought tothe table.

"[The meeting] would be an occasion for all municipal councillors to have a portrait of what is going on...what are the issues and what could be the solutions that could be put in place," she said Saturday.

"I don't think the situation is alarming, but I am following the situation very closely."

She said she will be proposing to waive the fee citizens currentlyface for taking large itemslike old beds and sofas to a city drop-off centre.

Meanwhile, Marc Carrire, the councillor forMasson-Angers, said he'stackling the problem himself by offering his own waste collection service for residents.

Carriresaid he would be out picking upbulky waste in his neighborhood nextMonday and Thursday.