The clear garbage bag program in Victoria County becomes mandatory on Monday.

The program has been voluntary since October 2014, and the municipality says it is catching up with the rest of the province.

"Most other municipalities across Nova Scotia have already switched to clear bags" said Jocelyn Bethune, with the county's public works department. "Richmond County, here in Cape Breton, switched to clear bags 10 years ago."

Inverness County is one of the few municipalities in the province, and now the only one in Cape Breton, not to have a clear bag program.

The program discourages people from putting recyclable or compostable materials in their garbage.