Essex town councillors voted unanimously on Monday night to go ahead with public consultations on possibly moving to biweekly garbage collection.
Those consultations will go ahead this fall, but the town is not considering any changes until at least 2028.
It would be a big change for many households, so Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley wants to make sure the town reaches as many people as possible.
"Relying on something like social media, for instance, would be like sticking your hand out in the middle of a car wash to check the weather," said Shepley. "I mean, you'll get feedback, but probably not something that's accurate. I think it's important that we ensure broad and meaningful engagement before any decisions are made."
Town staff note the cost of collection is increasing, and the province wants municipalities to focus on waste diversion from landfills.
Director of Corporate Services, Kate Rowe, said moving to garbage pickup every other week would save Essex a substantial amount of money.
"We did look at residential only for this consideration," she said. "It would amount to an estimated annual savings of $370,000. That represents about a 28 per cent reduction to our garbage levy for our residents."
Now that the organic waste program has been implemented, Essex is not the only municipality considering the change. Windsor moved to biweekly garbage pickup last year.
A report to the council also noted that other municipalities are considering adjustments as well.
