Waterloo Region cart collection system off to rocky start on day 2 of rollout

New black and green waste collection carts that will be used throughout Waterloo Region lined the streets of Ayr, Ont. on March 3, 2026. (Dan Lauckner/CTV News)

The rollout of the Region of Waterloo’s new waste cart collection system has been off to a rocky start.

Pick-up delays from Tuesday spilled into day two, causing concerns, confusion and frustration.

“My bins did go out after 5 p.m. on Monday evening as per the instructions and they’re still there,” Cambridge, Ont. resident Matthew Jacznik told CTV News Wednesday afternoon.

Jacznik said he lives in a wooded area and is concerned about wildlife getting into his waste.

“I do have skunks very prominently on my property on and around garbage day,” he said. “[Region staff] indicated that I should just leave my bin at the curb again, exacerbating this problem this problem where wildlife is being attracted.”

Wednesday was a waste collection waiting game in Waterloo too, with overflowing carts lining streets.

“So far, we’re waiting,” said resident Sid Van den Heede. “I’m sure they’ll get around to it.”

“It’s just kind of hard trying to place it here with all the snowbanks that we’ve had,” said Waterloo resident Jennifer Leicht. “And then also playing ‘move around the bin’ with trying to exit the driveway.”

The Region of Waterloo told CTV News it’s ironing out the kinks in the new system.

“At the beginning it was a little bit of a slower start,” said Olivia Kwok, the region’s waste management director. “But you can imagine once they got more into the rhythm of things, it picked up a lot faster.”

The work is being done by a third-party contractor whose brought on additional support to its 80-truck fleet.

“Our contractor did bring in extra trucks,” said Kwok. “They brought in more just to help with the service in the region because of picking up garbage as well for both zones.”

Anyone who didn’t have their carts collected on their designated day are asked to put them out again the next morning. Residents are also urged to check the Waste Whiz app to see if their collection day has changed.

While operators and residents get used to the new routine, the Region is thanking people for their patience.

“We hope that once you roll out your carts, things will go smoothly,” Kwok said. “But again, it’s week one and everyone’s getting used to the groove of things.”