We can understand why residents in the Municipality of Meaford are upset that next week they will have to pay $2 per bag of garbage they put out for collection.

Nobody likes this kind of change. Nobody likes any kind of new program that includes a user fee. That's perfectly understandable human nature.

However, in our opinion, things could be worse. We all could be living in Toronto right now. Citizens of that city would probably happily pay a $2 bag tag charge to have their garbage picked up right now.

In Toronto a strike by municipal workers has garbage piling up on the streets and tempers flaring - all as the first summer heat wave has arrived.

In Meaford our biggest issue is that all garbage bags must now have a $2 tag attached in order to be picked up. Local residents should remember that the majority of their waste is still collected for free.

Blue Box recycling pick up is free. The municipality also collects household organic waste that is later composted for free. In addition, the Leaf and Yard Waste Facility at the 7th Line Operations Centre is free to use for household needs (there are fees for commercial operators).

The key now for local residents is to use all the free recycling programs available to them in order to reduce their household garbage by the maximum amount. By doing that they can minimize the number of $2 tags they have to purchase.

The new $2 fee was a difficult decision for municipal leaders. Yes - it was a financial decision - the municipality needs money. However, the bag tag system also has benefits outside the realm of money. It's a method to make citizens think about the waste they produce and a way to encourage them to maximize their waste reduction.

The other options available to the municipality weren't very palatable compared to the bag tag. Would citizens in Meaford have accepted a reduction in garbage pickup service from once a week to every other week similar to what has happened in Owen Sound? The bag tag revenue could have been buried in the 2009 property tax increase, which would have pushed the increase even higher and would have ignored the potential benefits of residents knowing they can either recycle and compost or pay for more bag tags.

These kinds of changes are never easy and they're never perfect. We feel the new bag tag system needs to be given a fair chance.

We may not like bag tags, but they are a reality now.