Potton composting program hits a starch bag snag

Since 2013, the bulk of the municipalities in the Memphremagog MRC have joined in on the third wave of waste collection, participating in composting programs for organic matter.

To make it easy for residents in Potton, the town introduced small kitchen bins and mini compostable starch bags to collect organic scraps to put into brown bins outside.

Five years into the program, Town Manager Thierry Roger was excited to learn that Cowansville was opening up a new compost treatment plant, scheduled to enter into operation in the fall.

The town had previously been sending its collected compost to Coaticook. According to Roger, the reduced transportation costs of going to Cowansville instead of Coaticook would represent savings for citizens, who currently pay a tariff of around $146 per household for waste collection.

Unfortunately, Roger was told that the new Cowansville facility would not accept compost gathered in the starch bags that citizens have grown accustomed to using over the past five years.

According to Roger, the bags are completely compostable and certified by the Bureau de Normalisation de Quebec, a watchdog that monitors the impact bags have on the quality of compost.

The refusal to accept starch bags, Roger explained, came from the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development and the Fight against Climate Change (MDDLCC).

When asked for comment, the MDDLCC said that whether or not a facility can accept compostable bags depends on the installations in place for the treatment of the compost.

Because of the problems associated with odours, compost collected in bags needs to be treated in buildings with controlled air.

According to Roger, claims that compost in starch bags takes longer to break down and smells more than loose compost are unproven.

Now that the town has to decide whether to rework its entire program compost program or continue paying a higher waste removal fee, Roger said citizens could be left holding the starch bag.