Southwold adding `long overdue' green bin collection

Southwold Township is going for the green bin.

The township is the latest community to adopt a green bin program, adding it to its trash and recycling pick-up schedule.

“It's long overdue,” said Southwold Mayor Grant Jones. “We haven't had any negative comments. People are excited for it. Some people have asked for a second bin already, so I think it's going to be good.”

Set to begin next week, green bins will be added to the collection itinerary for the township's urban areas of Ferndale, Lynhurst and Talbotville on a bi-weekly basis.

The municipality has been in talks to introduce compostable waste collection for more than a year, Jones said.

Procuring the bins was the initial obstacle. The City of Toronto assisted Southwold in locating the bins at a “fairly reasonable” price due to “short supply,” Jones said.

“We host the Toronto landfill, the Green Lane landfill, and keeping organics out of landfills is a priority for any landfill,” Jones said. “So, it's good for the environment, it's good for sustainability with their landfills and it's a win-win (when) it goes back into compost.”

Jones said there is enthusiasm among residents about the program.

The estimated operating cost of the program is about $43,000.

ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION LONDON

London is in its infancy of compost collection, having rolled out its green bin program at the beginning of the year.

At a cost of $15 million, so far, it's seen a mixed response from residents.

Last month, three months into the program, about 55 per cent of eligible households were using their green bin.

About 126,000 green bins were distributed to city residents and the program's annual operating cost will have a price tag of $4 million a year.

ST. THOMAS

A veteran, St. Thomas is celebrating its 30th year using green bins for compostable waste.

“It feels like we've always done it, so residents have come to expect it,” said St. Thomas' waste management coordinator, Michelle Shannon.

Shannon said it's been about a decade since the city surveyed the number of residents using green bins, but the participation rate at the time was as high as 90 per cent from May through November.

In colder months, when odours are not as much of an issue, usage tends to drop off, Shannon said.

“We have the luxury that our bins are quite large, so in the winter, when it's frozen, it's not a necessity or you don't necessarily need to get it out as frequently as you do in the warmer months,” Shannon said.

Shannon said the cost of the city's curbside green cart program is approximately $800,000 a year.

WOODSTOCK

Although Woodstock doesn't have a green bin program, Mayor Jerry Acchione expects the city will have “within a couple years.”

“Over the years, there's been a lot of discussion,” Acchione said. “It's definitely the majority of people seem to want organics, some composting program here in the city.”

Acchione said a compost program was a “natural progression,” for Woodstock.

BENEFITS

The use of green bins helps keep organic materials out of landfills, extending the life of the landfill. Also, food waste collection can process organics into material which can be used to create a soil amendment for farm fields or home garden use.