A new city bylaw limits each household to one garbage bag per collection day.

The bylaw was passed 7-6 at City Council on July 17 in its first reading and was put forward in order to encourage recycling and limit household waste. A third and final reading is scheduled for Aug. 14.

The hope is that residents will further separate recyclable waste into green bins for food and blue bins for plastic containers. Prior to the motion passing, residents were allowed to put up to two bags on the curb without needing extra tags.

The bylaw will apply to all residents with access to green recyclable bins, but tenants and homeowners will be allowed to purchase tags for every extra garbage bag for $2 each.

Tags are currently available at a number of convenience stores, as well as the AMS front office.

If it passes at the final reading, the limit will be effective Sept. 1, but residents will be permitted to put out two bags on the garbage day after Labour Day, as well as New Year’s Day and Victoria Day.

Kye Andreopoulos, ArtSci ’14, lived in a house of eight last year and said he thinks the idea is unrealistic.

“It’s ridiculous, especially in the student ghetto area where there is a very dense population per household,” he said. “Even last year when houses were allowed two garbage bags, we had to store our extra garbage, that sometimes added up to six or seven bags, in the basement.”

Andreopoulous said the stored garbage made the area unsanitary and led to a bug infestation later on in the school year.

On July 27, the AMS released a statement denouncing City Council’s decision to limit garbage bag use and asking City Council members to vote against the motion at the final reading.

The statement criticized the policy’s flawed “practical considerations, its awareness initiatives and the undue burden it places on students, who often live in high-density housing.”