Residents will see some GFL Environmental workers installing new tags on their garbage bins next week.
Starting September 7th, crews will be installing a bar-code-like radio frequency identification chip on the handles of grey waste bins and green organics carts. During curbside collection, this tag relays the pickup address and time and date of the collection back to a reader in the collection truck.
The City says no other personal information will be recorded by the tags. The information is then put in a secure database which is only accessible to authorized city personnel.
Karen Dela Rosa, Senior Manager of Waste Services for the city, said in a statement that this will allow the city to enhance the curbside collection program, and eventually be able to divert more waste from the landfill. She adds that installing the tags will not have a financial impact on residential utilities, so people’s services fees will not go up as a result.
Residents can help the process along by leaving their waste carts on the curb on collection day from 7 AM to 6 PM. GFL will be installing the tags along the normal trash collection route. Staff will be wearing high visibility gear, and have identification on. People are being asked to keep interactions with the workers at a minimum, so as to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
People are being told not to remove the tag, as it is unique to their address. If a tag gets damaged or lost, people can call the city for a new one at no charge.
The process is expected to be completed by September 18th, and if someone is unsure the day their garbage gets collected, they can check on the City’s website.Â
The curbside collection program services about 8,000 homes in Lloydminster.
