What to know before taking down your sandbag wall

The City of Ottawa is preparing to collect used sandbags and other debris in areas affected by flooding. The following are instructions on how to set out your used and unused sandbags for pick-up and how to sort flood-related debris in your regular garbage, green bin, leaf and yard waste, and recycling collections.

Sandbag collection dates are:

• Wednesday, May 20
• Sunday, May 24
• Wednesday, May 27

Here’s what to do with your used and unused sandbags:

• All sandbags should be placed at the property’s right-of-way (curbside), not blocking any fire hydrants, catch basins, or driveways. Place bags on hard surfaces – such as a gravel shoulder – as much as possible without overly encroaching on the roadway as heavy equipment will be used to remove sandbags. To avoid any damage from the heavy equipment, do not put your bags right on your driveway or your lawn.
• A sandbag is considered used if it has come into contact with water. Do not empty this sand onto your property, beach, or play areas and sandboxes as it is considered contaminated.
• If you have used and unused sandbags, create two separate stacks and use cardboard signs to mark "used" and "unused" on the respective piles.
• All sandbags should be separated from other waste and recycling collections.

Any flood-related debris goes out on your regular garbage and recycling collection days. The key is to sort your waste into the appropriate collection stream – household waste, organic waste, and leaf and yard waste

Remember, the City’s three-item limit remains in place. You can purchase Yellow Bags at participating retailers, including Home Hardware, to dispose of any household waste that takes you above the three items. Another option is to bring your debris to the Trail Waste Facility Landfill at 4475 Trail Road. Visit ottawa.ca for instructions and payment options.

• Household waste: Place it at the curb for your regular garbage bin pick up.
• Organic waste: Place it at the curb for weekly green bin pick up.
• Leaf and yard waste: Tree cuttings, branches and brush should be placed in paper leaf and yard waste bags or bundled and tied together. They are placed at the curb separate from non-organic flood-related waste. Package all waste as outlined on ottawa.ca
• Household hazardous waste: Visit one of the upcoming City of Ottawa household hazardous waste events (schedule now online) or visit the City’s Waste Explorer, which points to retailers where you can return many hazardous items daily, including light bulbs, batteries, paint and oil.  

Be sure to follow the Spring flooding page and Spring flooding Facebook group for the latest flood recovery information.