Beginning this summer, Sarnia residents will have to find an alternative to using plastic bags for recycling and yard waste.
As of July 1, plastic bags will no longer be collected and residents are encouraged to buy blue boxes at city hall or public works.
The city is also expected to save about $250,000 annually in worker fees by switching to paper bags for yard waste.
In 2017, the 4.7 million kilograms of leaves were collected in plastic and paper bags.
City Engineering Director Mike Berkvens said the recycling change was made because of contractor Emterra.
"On the recycling side, our contractor eliminated the collection of plastic bags themselves. They get caught up in their recycling machines. So, it was a business plan for them to say that it cost too much and created too much downtime for their machines," he said.
Residents are encouraged to mulch leaves before bagging to save space.
