Most local ‘garbage’ is actually organics

Saskatoon residents throw away a lot of food. In 2016, 77 per cent of the material sent to the landfill could have been diverted with new programs, according to a report for Tuesday’s meeting of city council’s environment, utilities and corporate services committee.

The largest chunk of material sent to the landfill for every sector — single-family homes, apartments and townhouses, and business and institutions — is organic waste, most of which is food, the report says.

The survey was conducted by checking the contents of the black bins collected by the city as well as the loads of material taken to the city’s landfill and private landfills.

“We have been tracking food waste before, but it’s much more in your face now,” said Brenda Wallace, the city’s director of environmental and corporate initiatives.

The method of sampling will not be available until the company hired by the city to perform the survey delivers its final report in March, Wallace said.

For single-family homes, 58 per cent of the material collected as trash was actually organic waste, mostly food. Just 16 per cent was garbage and another 10 per cent was material that could have been recycled, according to the early report.

For apartments and townhouses, 40 per cent of material thrown away was organic, almost all food scraps. Another 17 per cent was material that should have been placed in the recycling bin. Actual trash accounted for 27 per cent.

Among industrial, commercial and institutional properties, 27 per cent of discarded material was organic and 22 per cent was material that could have been recycled. Another 18 per cent was trash and 26 per cent was glass, metal, paper and plastic that could not be recycled. Six per cent was construction and demolition material.

“This is the most robust study that we’ve ever conducted in Saskatoon,” Wallace said.

New programs would be needed to reach the city’s goal of diverting 70 per cent of material from the landfill by 2023, the report says.

The city’s subscription program for collecting organic waste has a current limit of 8,000 subscribers, Wallace said.

“We’re not at zero, we’re better than that, but we’re not yet at a comprehensive solution.”

The percentage of recyclable material sent to the landfill has dropped since the last such study in 2014, the report says.