Paper waste collection calendars will no longer be distributed to households as part of the Regional Municipality of Durham’s Long-term Waste Management Plan to mitigate environmental impacts.
Residents of the Town of Ajax, Municipality of Clarington, City of Pickering, and Townships of Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge are encouraged to download the Durham Region Waste App or access the online collection calendar at durham.ca/waste.
The City of Oshawa and Town of Whitby are also eliminating the distribution of paper waste collection calendars to their residents. Oshawa residents are encouraged to download the Durham Region Waste App or access the online collection calendar at oshawa.ca/waste. Residents of the Town of Whitby can download the Whitby Waste Buddy App or access their calendars through whitby.ca/waste.
The Durham Region Waste App, available on Google Play or in the App Store, is free to download and provides residents with customized collection schedules, reminders about collection days, Know Before You Throw search tool, service alerts and more.
Waste management information is also available through Smart Home Devices by asking your Google Home or Amazon Alexa for myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Service and inquiring about your waste collection schedule, said a municipal statement.
It said a limited number of paper calendars will be available upon request in October. To request a copy, email waste@durham.ca, or call 311 (within Regional limits) or toll-free at 1-800-372-1102.
Calendars distributed for 2023 waste collection were the final full printing and distribution of the paper waste collection calendar for residents of the Ajax, Clarington, Pickering, and Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge.
The region said eliminating the distribution of printed calendars is more cost effective while also reducing the region’s carbon footprint.
It said during the development of the Long-term Waste Management Plan, residents indicated that the Durham Region Waste App was their top choice for accessing information on waste management programs, including waste collection schedules.