I’m sorry, but I take my freedom/privacy very seriously. I appreciate the idea that I am free to choose what I throw out and if I decide to recycle or not. I also very much appreciate my privacy for what I do throw out. I don’t want my next door neighbours seeing what goes on in my house…be it boring or exciting, it’s in the privacy of my home and should not be forced to be on display for others. It’s absurd to me that my rights are going to be taken away from me very shortly and I am forced to adhere to such a policy. I recycle on my own and do not need a parenting government telling me how, when and where. I am a 31-year-old women who should be allowed to make her own decisions in her life…including what is private and what is recycled. NS government, we disagree a lot on many things but this is going over the line and taking my rights as a Canadian citizen away. You are not only taking away my right to decide for myself, but you are forcing me to push my private life to public…and this is unacceptable. Shame on you. —Feeling less free in my free country
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 5, 2015.
Green bag garbage: a fundamental human right
You know, if you use a garbage can you can put white bags or whatever in there.. It counts as your privacy bag.
If you have more than that every two weeks as one person… Well that’s tough luck. I also am not really sure that people are going around snooping in others garbage bags, but who knows.
Fake? No one can really think this way can they?
And lets be clear, you have no right or freedom to throw your trash away however you like. Rules are in place for a reason, and are now easier to be enforced. Start rejecting those bags HRM, people will learn soon.
Pun intended
go somewhere else in the country then….oh wait we are the last place to adopt this very very smart thing
Public provision of garbage disposal is a privilege, not a right. You could always opt out of that privilege and hire a private garbage disposal contractor. Your decision to exercise your “right” to recycle (or not) can have repercussions for others (see landfills around the world and in Canada).
So many colostomy bags, so little space.
I missed that part in our Charter..the right to throw away whatever you want, however you want. Maybe you should hit up Mulcair on this one.
You are absolutely right. No one should be forced to recycle their sexual restraints.
Be prepared for more litter and garbage on the sides of roads and in front of homes. People are getting tired and pissed off with governments micromanaging everything and telling them what they can and can’t do. You may disagree, but it is reality.
I agree with you, Bro Tim. I watched a news clip about an older lady who had an extra bag tagged & rejected. She was hopping mad, claiming it wasn’t hers, she didn’t know how it got there and she didn’t know how she’d remove it because she was crippled up. This is just the tip of this garbage iceberg. I think two dark bags would be more reasonable, THEN cut it down to one bag after a couple of years.
On a personal note, my tiny kitchen is now overrun with garbage and compost bins and bags. It smells like hell in there now. Four cans of Febreeze couldn’t make it smell better.
you get one privacy bag. I have 2 small kids and at first I thought it was going to be a huge pain in the ass. It’s not so bad. I’m just taking a few more seconds to rinse out microwave plastic dishes. I have 2 garbage cans now and anything I don’t want anyone to see goes in the dark one. I only used 2 bags in the last 2 weeks but have a lot more in the recycle bag. I found the key is to rinse everything well and put any food in the green bin as soon as possible.
Been seeing garbage/recycle containers at grocer stores & in the cities containing more waste lately folks ? I have noticed it. Seeing people getting out of their cars going into stores carrying a small grocery type bag with garbage getting dropped In the community garbage cans I’ve seen it several times just last weekend.
Then there is the real problem for me & my neighbors, if you try to keep garbage in plastic bags , or put it on the side of the road for pick up in bags. The raccoons will have that stuff torn apart by the time the garbage truck comes by , who is cleaning up that mess every other week !?!
People pay property taxes, one of the things this is suppose to be for is Garbage removal. If you are no longer removing my garbage …. When will I/we see a tax reduction ?
The rest of Nova Scotia and other provinces have had a similar setup for years and they do not have the problems that people are pointing out in this article. Does this mean that everyone commenting on this website is wrong or do Haligonians have a cognitive deficit that accounts for their inability to manage modest first-world challenges. Only time will tell.
I can’t disagree with BroTim, but I can tell those people who are feeling inconvenienced and micro managed to fucking suck it up.
We live in a SOCIETY here folks
How much garbage do you people make every two weeks? Fuck, we struggle to fill 1 green bag every two weeks.
It’s easier this way really – you can use clear bags for garbage AND recycling now. No buying black/green and blue ones. And I liked the earlier comment – just put it in a trash can at the curb – no pedestrians will see. This is a non-issue.
I wonder if they know that our waste sorting is first class in HFX and actually saves tax payers money since we sell the compost and recyclables.
Why don’t you just buy a garbage can and put your clear plastic bags inside. No one but the garbage collectors will see them. I think they see enough weird shit in a day they don’t really care about searching anyone’s bags for hidden treasures.
The real issue is how militant the garbage man will be.
Last week, they took 3 black bags, and only tagged 1 bag. I think this is very reasonable. I am trying to change my ways and it looks like they are being forgiving about that.
Next time, I plan to only add 1 new black back. I will bet that they take both bags.
Then I’ll be on track and the garbage man will only see 1 black bag.
for me , it’s always been out here in the wilds, I have a small container that grocery store bags fit in, it fills up & I put it in my locking lid garbage can.
Now it seems , I will be forced to go & buy small clear bags, to throw away !
Why should I have to buy a small clear bag to put garbage in, when the store gives me small plastic bags that are perfect for that application ?
1.The outrage only comes from the slack-arses that have not been recycling the whole time and now they will be held accountable.
2. It’s not the NS Government’s rules, it’s the Municipality’s.
3. Landfills are expensive to build and maintain. If not for recycling your garbage bill would be HIGHER.
4. You didn’t even read the material on changes or you’d know you can use one non-clear bag.