Illegal dumping inquiry to staff - ensuring appropriate measures

Ward 3 Office
Sep 19, 2024
2 min read

Councillor Inquiry

Staff responses

What is the City’s projection on how the frequency of illegal dumping will change when the new three garbage bins limit is in place?

Research completed as part of the Curbside Waste Diversion Policy report

ACS2023-PWD-SWS-0003 indicated that municipalities implementing a new

or changed garbage policy saw an initial increase in illegal dumping, but this

tapered off three to six months post-change with proactive monitoring,

education, and enforcement.

Staff in By-law and Regulatory Services and Solid Waste Services have

developed an extensive communications plan to educate residents on what

illegal dumping is and how it impacts businesses, residents and everyone’s

enjoyment of our public spaces. This plan was also detailed in the Curbside

Waste Diversion Policy Implementation Plan and Operational Readiness

Update report, ACS2024-PWD-SWS-0002. Further, a comprehensive plan

has been developed for proactively monitoring areas across the City that

regularly experience illegal dumping such as parks, public spaces, rural

ditches and receptacles on private property.

How many cases of illegal dumping were successfully fined in Ottawa 2022 and 2023?

The City of Ottawa has several by-laws that address illegal dumping: the

Property Maintenance By-law (2005-208), the Use and Care of Roads By-law

(2003-498), the Parks and Facilities By-law (2004-276) and the Solid Waste

Services By-law (2024-453).

Depending on the location in which the material is illegally dumped, By-law and

Regulatory Services (BLRS) utilizes the applicable by-law to enforce the

violation. In 2022, no fines were issued for illegal dumping. Seven fines were

issued in 2023. Investigations into illegal dumping can be quite complex,

especially the gathering of evidence and locating of the perpetrator.

Property owners are responsible for addressing the accumulation of refuse on

their own lands. In keeping with procedures, in cases where the perpetrator of

the offence cannot be determined and the waste is located on private property, a

Notice of Violation is issued to the property owner under of the Property

Maintenance By-law. Notices of Violation of this nature are issued when refuse,

regardless of type is left on a property. BLRS issued 501 such notices in 2022

and 727 in 2023.

The Notice of Violation provides the property owner with a compliance deadline to remove the refuse from their property.

Does By-law have the resources required to sufficiently respond to an increase in

illegal dumping?

Two temporary resources were allocated to By-law and Regulatory Services

through Budget 2024 to support enhanced enforcement of illegal dumping on

private property (eg. commercial properties). These staff have been deployed

and based on the amount of service requests received since enforcement began,

these resources are sufficient. Monitoring of illegal dumping in parks is being

managed through Solid Waste Services.

What is the current fine for illegal dumping under provincial regulation, and what steps can the City take to increase those fines? Are you currently taking those steps and if so, where are we in that process?