‘Problematic’: Ontario school board removing garbage bins from classrooms

Jeff Pelich, who is president of the ETFO in Waterloo Region, says the WRDSB recently issued a memo to administrators at schools announcing plans to remove the waste bins.

The Waterloo Region District School Board is removing garbage bins from inside classrooms and into the hallways in an effort to cut down on waste being produced in its schools.

Jeff Pelich, who is president of the ETFO in Waterloo Region, says the WRDSB recently issued a memo to administrators at schools announcing plans to remove the waste bins.

“So the board has decided to remove garbage bins from all classrooms in an effort, they have said, to lessen the impact on landfill sites and reduce the number of garbage receptacles, and also to improve efficiency,” he told Global News.

The union boss also noted the “efficiency” would likely also be looking to save money for a board that has had some budget issues in recent years.

The memo, a copy of which he shared with Global News, said the “initial goal was to reduce the number of receptacles, and by extension, garbage bag usage by 80 per cent.

“Classroom waste bins will be replaced with single, larger, bins placed in more common areas. Each site will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and we will only be placing waste bins where they are required.”

Pelich took issue with the goal of the memo, which was sent on behalf of facilities superintendent Chris Sager and senior facilities manager Barry Kingsley.

“At the end of the day, there is still going to likely be a similar amount of garbage, because unfortunately, there are some things that need to go in the garbage,” he said.