New garbage carts are starting to appear at Castlegar households as the city prepares to offer curbside organics pickup.
“It’s a very big week for the program,” said Emilie teBulte, the city’s solid waste and organics ambassador, during an open house on Tuesday.
With up to 400 deliveries a day, about 3,500 carts should be in place by the first week of August. The last week of the current pick-up system will be Aug. 7. Weekly organics collection then begins Aug. 21 while bi-weekly garbage and recycling pick-up continues as before.
The 120-litre carts now being delivered aren’t for compost and yard waste, but garbage. The existing 240-litre garbage carts will then be redeployed for organics.
“We know that’s going to be a bit of a transition period,” teBulte said, adding she has been fielding lots of questions, including whether compostable bags can go in the organics bin. (Answer: no.)
“I’m hearing some similar themes: concerns about cart sizes and wildlife interactions. We’re pretty lucky our system includes yard waste and kitchen waste. That will help with the smell and also interactions with wildlife.”
She said she is also hearing questions about the system itself. Some people who already have backyard composters don’t see much use for it. But teBulte says the advantage is that it accepts things that can’t be composted at home, such as bread, meat, and cheese that will upset the balance of backyard composters.
TeBulte said there has been a mixed reaction to the program, with some people excited about it and just curious to know what it will look like, when it will happen, and what happens to the end product.
But she’s also hearing from those who fear it will be a struggle, especially young families given the smaller garbage cart sizes.
“We’re encouraging people to try it because this is something that has been rolled out in other municipalities and seen success,” she said.
“It should be very possible for the majority of residents to fit their garbage into the smaller bins. We encourage residents to take a few months to transition to the new program and if after that they’re still struggling, reach out to us and purchase a second 120L cart.”
TeBulte said an estimated 40 per cent of what goes in the garbage can be diverted into the organics bin and another 37 per cent recycled in the blue bin or at the depot.
She said there are several reasons for the program, including conserving space in the landfill, thereby prolonging its life, and reducing methane production, which happens when organics decompose without oxygen. Additionally, organics at the landfill are moisture-rich and produce leachate that picks up heavy metals and pollutants that can contaminate ground water and soil and be expensive to contain.
“Eighty per cent of BC is already diverting organic waste,” teBulte says. “This is just us catching up. It might be a tough transition, but I’m available to help.”
You can reach her at [email protected].
Pop-up events are also scheduled as follows:
- City Hall, July 27 from 12–3 p.m.
- Kinsmen Park, July 28 from 12–3 p.m.
- Castlegar Craft & Farmers Market, July 29 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Millennium Park & Ponds, July 30 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m
- Humble Bean, Aug. 1 from 12–2 p.m.
- Common Grounds, Aug. 3 from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
- City Hall, Aug. 4 from 12–3 p.m.
- Canadian Tire, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
