The proposed change was brought up in a garbage demonstration related to the Waste Collection By-law by the City of Peterborough at the Municipal Operations Centre on Thursday morning.
The proposal will be considered at City Council’s General Committee meeting on Tuesday before going to the regular Council meeting to be considered for approval on Oct. 23.
The move was proposed to improve workplace health and safety for all sanitation workers. An average route for one truck results in 1,100 to 1,200 stops a day. Omitting garbage cans makes it easier for sanitation workers to get the garbage bags out of the cans according to the City.
Garbage collected outside containers allows collectors to see their contents while switching to clear bags.
“We’ve had workers get cut across the leg from glass or anything else sharp from garbage bags,” said Sean Adey, the City’s manager of parks, forestry and sanitation. “Some of our staff can get pricked by a needle and could contract HIV. We’ve had workers out for a few days to a few months because of it and it slows down our garbage collection.”