An organics waste diversion program will start in 2022 for around 6000 households in the Southern Columbia region, according to Regional District Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) spokesperson Andy Morel.
Communities that will benefit from the program include Fruitvale, Montrose, Trail, Warfield, Rossland and Areas A and B.
The program will help divert organic waste from the McKelvey Creek Regional Landfill to a composting facility in the Salmo area.
While only kitchen waste will be accepted when the program first gets started, RDKB hopes yard and garden waste will also eventually be collected.
A semi-automatic truck will likely be used to collect the organic waste from households.
“The truck has a lift unit, which includes a grab bar and hydraulic electric system, to lift the bin up and dump the garbage into its loader,” said Morel.
“That prevents staff from having to lift heavy bins on a constant basis.”
Contractors will have an opportunity to bid on a tender to run the program before 2022. The number of trucks and staff needed to operate the program will be determined by the winning contractor.
The program will be offered once a week, however it’s not known if it will occur during the same time as waste pick-up.
There will be multiple advantages to having the program once its up and running.
“We will see a substantial reduction in greenhouse gases with this program,” said Morel.
“Another huge bonus is that we’ll be able to expand the lifespan of the regional landfill. Approximately 40 per cent of the garbage that currently goes into the landfill is compostable.”
The lifespan of the landfill is expected to increase from 2050 to 2100 with less garbage being sent to it.
Taxpayers are anticipated to save thousands of dollars with the landfill operating an additional fifty years.
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