The City’s Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management today approved a strategy to get more multi-residential properties to divert organic waste.
The City collects waste at 2,150 multi-residential properties, such as apartments and townhomes, and 929 already participate in the Green Bin program, which diverts residential organic waste away from the Trail Waste Facility Landfill. The strategy would make organic waste diversion mandatory for all such properties that receive City waste collection services. Staff would continue to introduce green bins on a voluntary basis for the rest of 2022, with all new properties starting City collection service as of Wednesday, June 1 being required to participate in the program. Staff would bring forward a plan in 2023 to onboard all remaining properties.
In addition to mandatory organics diversion, the City would increase promotion and education, pilot new waste technologies, integrate best practices at new and existing properties, and update its collections contract.
This is one of several City projects designed to support the City’s new Solid Waste Master Plan, to be completed in 2023. It also aligns with the Province’s Food and Organic Waste Policy Statement to reduce food waste from multi-residential properties by 50 per cent by 2025 and require those properties to provide food and organic waste collection to their residents.
This report will rise to Council on Wednesday, April 27.