Curbside organics pickup program would ease landfill woes: report
PHIL TANK
A city-wide collection program for organic waste could help improve Saskatoon’s dismal rate for diverting material from the landfill, a city hall report says.
City council has voted in favour of pursuing a mandatory curbside collection program for food and yard waste, similar to the existing programs for garbage and recycling.
A report to be considered by a city council committee on Monday estimates an organics program would improve the city ’s diversion rate from 22.8 per cent to 32.5 per cent.
An organic waste collection program would increase the amount of material headed for compost and diverted from the landfill by 26,000 tonnes per year, the report estimates.
“Diverting organic materials from the landfill also conserves landfill airspace and ultimately extends the life of the landfill,” the report says.
The City of Saskatoon has set a target to divert 70 per cent of material from the landfill by 2023.
Saskatoon routinely ranks near the bottom among Canadian cities in diverting material from the landfill. Saskatoon and Regina are the only known major cities in Canada that lack a mandatory collection program for yard waste.
Saskatoon currently operates a subscription-based green bin program that picks up organic material for composting, similar to the black cart for garbage and blue cart for recycling.
According to the report that will be tabled at Monday’s environment, utilities and community services committee meeting, the administration has been gathering information on a possible organic waste collection program.
The city received 11 responses from industry entities on some of the issues expected in implementing an organics waste collection system.
A 2016 study by the city showed 58 per cent of the material placed in garbage bins by people living in single-family homes was organic
material, mostly food waste.
The city is also exploring moving waste collection to a user pay model, instead of covering the costs through property taxes. More information on the property tax and user fee implications are expected in September.
The early responses from industry raised a variety of concerns, including cart sizes, winter freezing and odour.
Research shows a 240-litre cart would meet most residents’ needs, which is smaller than the 360-litre cart used in the subscription program.
Food waste is usually collected on a weekly basis due to concerns about odour and attracting animals, but the service could switch to once every two weeks in winter months, the report says.
A final decision has not been made on whether to include pet waste or diapers in the organics program, the report notes.