Essex County Council is pushing for more transparency amid concerns over the cost of the green bin program.
Council met Wednesday evening where a report was presented for information with a layout of all previous decisions made by County Council over the green bin program.
Council voted in 2023 to adopt an organic waste collection program due to provincial legislation, and in December 2025, council received a report on the estimated annual green bin user-fee costs per household in 2026.
Concerns have come to light in recent weeks from the public over social media over the cost of the program, and while fees vary per municipality, residents can expect to pay approximately $150 per year for the program.
The program launched in Oct. 2025 in Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle, and Tecumseh, and those residents will receive their tax bill for the program in June 2026.
Comments around the council table on Wednesday focused on wanting an increase in social media posts when it comes to decisions being made by council, as well as more public engagement to ensure residents are aware of changes they may need to pay for in the future.
Lakeshore resident Tim Vickerd attended council as a delegate.
He says it's difficult for residents to watch or attend every meeting.
"There's no way we're going to follow the meetings, it should've been out there in the public so that we actually knew what was going on. If what they said in 2024 they even had an idea what it was going to cost us a year to do this, we should've been informed so that we could've been in the Chambers, and argued it then."
Essex mayor Sherry Bondy says the message from the community was loud and clear.
"There's always room for improvement, this is something that I've said before, the county is like this hidden level of government where people don't really pay attention until it really matters. So, I encourage residents to follow the county on social media, follow your local, and get involved so you can have a say earlier."
Bondy's notice of motion looking for more data on the program was approved by council.
She says she wants to see more numbers.
"We heard in December that 27 per cent of households are using it... I want to know is that 27 per cent blended with the City of Windsor where it's an urban area, where more people are potentially using it? What is the county uptake because the green bin is here, it's here to stay, we're going to have to work really hard to get residents to uptake on it, but first we need data."
The County has signed a seven-year contract with Miller Waste Systems to collect the organic waste, and states there is no opt-out option for residents during that time.
Phase two will include Amherstburg, Kingsville, and Leamington and will see green bin delivery in fall 2026. Those residents will receive their tax bill for the program in June 2027.
County Council is expected to finalize the household user fee for the program during their next meeting on Feb. 18, however, administration stated on Wednesday that there is no money set aside in reserves to offset this cost to residents.