Free composters for wards 1 through 5

Hamilton residents in wards 1 through 5 will soon be able to start collecting their free backyard composters. P

eople living in those areas of the city can bring photo identification with proof of address to one of three pickup events starting Saturday. One composter is available per household while supplies last.

Pickup events are being held:

• July 28 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Hamilton City Hall garage, 71 Main St. W., on the south side of the parking lot;

• Aug. 11 from 8 a.m. to noon at Hamilton Central Composting Facility, 1579 Burlington St. E;

• Aug. 18 from 8 a.m. to noon at Hamilton Wentworth Operations Centre, 330 Wentworth St. N.

Temporary pickup locations include:

• Kenora Community Recycling Centre, 460 Kenora Ave. E., on Tuesdays through Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from July 28 to Sept. 1;

• Hamilton City Hall garage, 71 Main St. W., from July 30 to Aug. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon; Aug. 7 to 10 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Aug. 13 to 17 from 8 a.m. to noon; Aug. 20 to 24 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

With backyard composters, residents are responsible for managing their own composting and ensuring composters are kept in good condition and are properly used. They are not collected curbside by the city and must be kept in residents’ backyards at least one metre from the property line.

Kitchen scraps including fruit, vegetables, peels, trimmings, eggshells, tea bags, coffee grinds and filters can be put in backyard composters, while meat, bones, grease, fat, cheese, salad dressing and oil cannot.

Earlier this month, city council approved the temporary program to provide residents in wards 1 to 5 a free backyard composter to help reduce the amount of organic material going to the landfill while the municipal compost plant is closed due to an illness-inducing stench. Coun. Sam Merulla and Coun. Matthew Green are offering up ward infrastructure cash to give away as many as 2,000 of the composters to lower-city residents.

Provincial investigators are probing whether the stinky plant, which is run by AIM Environmental, broke the law and have asked the city to come up with an “action plan” to prevent future problems.

Residents living in wards 6 to 15 can buy a backyard composter for $35 at any of the city’s municipal service centres.