Kawartha Lakes closer to rolling out organic waste collection program
A separated source organics program is still earmarked for Lindsay, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls and Omemee, but not necessarily all at the same time.
While still in favour of having the program delivered to urban communities before the entire municipality as first proposed, council is opting to see the cost before committing to an expanded launch.
The decision was made during Tuesday’s meeting following discussion of a report that was presented by environmental services manager David Kerr earlier this month.
Staff recommended that curbside collection begin in Lindsay in 2025 and that staff review, evaluate and report to council on the effectiveness of the program. Staff would then provide recommendations for future program rollout and improvements.
The organics collection program would see fruit and vegetable peels, meat, fish, and bones placed in a green bin. They don’t go in the garbage.
Ward 4 Coun. Dan Joyce was one of several who supported a cautious approach, expressing concern with how organics collection in four communities, versus one, would impact taxes.
Operating costs for a Lindsay-only option have been estimated at around $1.2 million. Staff are working to confirm a curbside collection contractor and identify a preferred processing plant to accept material. These will be presented to council this fall.
The program’s 2025 launch date will depend on contractual commitment and availability. The municipality will also need to purchase collection bins however, council has already set aside $466,963 for this in the 2024 budget. About $375,000 would be needed to cover Lindsay.
Adding in the three other communities would result in added operational costs as well as the need to for a consolidation facility estimated at $1.5 million.
“We still don’t know if that $1.5 million (consolidation) piece is necessary,” Joyce said.
Ward 7 Coun. and Deputy Mayor Charlie McDonald agreed.
“We need to know the costs before going in,” McDonald said. “I want to see the real cost to the taxpayer.”
Ward 2 Coun. Pat Warren noted doing all four at once will have a greater impact on landfill capacity — a key goal of the program — and more effectively meet the province’s mandate to have such efforts in place by 2025.
Warren also pointed out “economies of scale” and the cost of waiting to initiate programs.
Public works director Bryan Robinson told council staff will obtain parallel costing for both options via a Request for Proposal (RFP) process; Lindsay only and a provisional four-community option.
Robinson explained, if the city put forward an RFP for four communities and discovered it’s too prohibitive, then the whole process could be pushed back at least two months.
If a consolidation site does prove necessary, the location, and would be proposed during 2027 capital budget discussions.
The program’s 2025 launch date will depend on contractual commitment and availability