In effort to increase the longevity of the Golden Landfill, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District is going to start a composting program.
Golden residents will now be asked to separate their wood waste from their yard and garden waste when they take it to the Golden Landfill.
“We are now separating those materials because we’re going to begin an organic composting system,” said CSRD Waste Reduction Facilitator Carmen Fennell. “Our goal is to keep organic material out of the landfill and use it for a more beneficial purpose.”
In the past, wood waste was chipped along with yard and garden waste and the product was used on site in various ways.
“We used to use it as an alternate daily over for the garbage, or as fill for wet areas. We will continue to use wood waste for that purpose, but we’re going to separate out the yard and garden waste because that will give us a usable product, and drastically cut down what is staying at the site. Whatever we can do to extend the life of the landfill will save Golden residents money,” said Fennell.
The yard and garden material without any contaminants is referred to as “organic waste.”
It will be composted in rows, and the material being collected now will be the first batch of compost. This usable compost takes about a year to produce, so is expected to be ready for residents to purchase in 2014.
This diversion process has begun so an loads going to the Golden Landfill have to be separated.
“We realize this will mean some more separating for residents as they take a load to the landfill, but we’re hoping everyone will appreciate having compost material available next year.”
The cost for wood waste and yard and garden waste is $35 per tonne, and the next six-week free yard and garden waste drop-off begins on Saturday, Oct. 5.
