As of Jan. 1, West Shore residents had to find an alternative to their garbage can for their food scraps, due to a ban implemented on kitchen waste at the Hartland Landfill.
Before this year, organic materials such as food waste and kitchen scraps made up approximately 30 per cent of the waste at , according to the Capital Regional District. In an attempt to extend the life of the landfill, as well as encourage the production of material such as compost and fertilizer, Hartland has been phasing out organic waste at the facility over the last three years, culminating with the full ban on Jan. 1.
, as one of the major waste haulers in the region, is excited about the new regulations, and has revamped its services in order to help the community abide by them.
B次元官网网址淢uch of Victoria B次元官网网址� Oak Bay, James Bay, View Royal, for example B次元官网网址� have already been doing the program for a while now,B次元官网网址� says Heather Baumann, office manager of the Alpine facility on Dunford Avenue in Langford.
B次元官网网址淏ut it wasnB次元官网网址檛 mandatory, so we were just picking up garbage, and going along our merry little way. But then the ban came into effect at the landfill, so then weB次元官网网址檙e in the middle as the hauler, and weB次元官网网址檙e going, B次元官网网址極K, we need to come up with a plan so that there are options out there for people.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
That plan was to create a diverse combination of offerings for people.
That included providing curbside residential pickup in conjunction with what they already do in terms of garbage collection, to large bins for commercial facilities like restaurants and grocery stores, to drop-off at their Langford facility, incorporating education on other waste management practices like composting.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not mandatory for them to sign up with us, but itB次元官网网址檚 mandatory for them to have some alternative for their kitchen-scrap waste,B次元官网网址� Baumann says.
B次元官网网址淚f theyB次元官网网址檙e composting using back yard composters, great. If theyB次元官网网址檙e garburating, great. But if theyB次元官网网址檙e not doing any of that, it means itB次元官网网址檚 going in the garbage, right? We wanted to have options for our customers, because they canB次元官网网址檛 be doing that anymore.B次元官网网址�
And she says people are getting on board.
Throughout December, she says, they had lineups out the door and had trouble keeping up with demand for household receptacles. She also says there will always be some resistance to new things, but she feels people will eventually come to terms with it.
B次元官网网址淲hen the Blue Box program came in, it was the same thing,B次元官网网址� Baumann says. B次元官网网址淧eople said, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檓 not going to sort my cans and glass,B次元官网网址� but now you drive around Langford and Colwood on Blue Box day and some houses have seven boxes out. ItB次元官网网址檚 just a matter of people getting used to it.B次元官网网址�
A big part of getting people used to it is just a matter of letting people know what they need to do to comply, and give them the options to make it easy to do so.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e doing our best to comply with the ban, give people options and educate them. ItB次元官网网址檚 all new to people, and there hasnB次元官网网址檛 been a lot of information flowing to the residents. Some people are excited, because theyB次元官网网址檝e been waiting for this to finally happen B次元官网网址� We donB次元官网网址檛 want people to see it as an inconvenience.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 adding something B次元官网网址� an extra service to help the residents comply with the ban. WeB次元官网网址檙e happy to take phone calls from people with questions, and we do a lot of that,B次元官网网址� she says, because there are a lot of options for people.
The base cost for curb side pickup for kitchen and food scraps is $4.95 per month B次元官网网址� in addition to your garbage service pickup costs B次元官网网址� which includes the containers (provided by Alpine), pickup and processing of the waste. Kitchen scrap pickup happens alongside garbage pickup, and on the same day, and sometimes even using the same truck.
B次元官网网址淲e do get calls with angry people who say, B次元官网网址業 went through the effort to separate it, and you just threw it in the garbage anyway,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Baumann says, which is when they need to explain that they have retrofitted some of their trucks to have separate compartments for kitchen scraps, so it only appears itB次元官网网址檚 all going to the same place.
Another option for residential food waste is to purchase the containers and bring them to a drop off location like AlpineB次元官网网址檚 or directly to the landfill yourself.
Or, of course, you can do at-home composting, which is an excellent way to make your own nutrient-rich soil for gardening, and fully encouraged by the CRD.
Meat, bones, fat, grains and cooked foods shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be just thrown in a pile of dirt in a backyard compost bin, however, but Green Cone digesters B次元官网网址� which treat these products B次元官网网址� have now been piloted in the region. More information on Green Cone digesters can be found either by contacting the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre at or 250-386-WORM (9676) or by finding the downloadable brochure on the .
