Organics are a terrible thing to waste.
The County of Simcoe kicked off its 18-month multi-residential organics pilot program at the end of April, which will see approximately 600 units in buildings across the region take part by separating and disposing of their organics separately from garbage.
First announced by the county back in October, there are 10 properties participating in the pilot: one in Ramara, four in Collingwood, two in Wasaga Beach, one in Bradford West Gwillimbury, one in Tay Township and one in Midland.
Each unit is given a kitchen green bin through the pilot, and county staff is evaluating on a case-by-base basis the best way for the county to collect the organics, whether that be through smaller trucks, having green bins on-site, or on floors in apartment buildings.
She said there are barriers that have prevented the program being rolled out before now, including varying street sizes for private condominium corporations or how to collect from a high-rise apartment building.
“Every multi-residential property has a unique set of circumstances,” said Laura Barrett, collections manager with the County of Simcoe. “There are so many different variables for every single property, that it takes a lot more time and effort to implement the program.”
“It’s not as easy as handing out carts to every single unit.”
The lessons learned through the pilot will help inform how multi-residential organics collection could feasibly be rolled out in apartment and condominium buildings and townhouses across Simcoe County.
The pilot program is expected to cost approximately $45,000 over 18 months and includes costs for promotion and educational content, bags and auditing supplies, as well as for the collection of organics from each location.
The county launched its existing curbside collection of organics in 2008, and is currently mandated to collect from all residential properties with five or fewer units. Last year, the county said it hit 200,000 tonnes of organics diverted since first launching the program.
Under current legislative requirements, municipalities are not required to provide organics pick-up to multi-residential properties. However, the province rolled out new guidelines for organics, through their Food and Organic Waste Policy Statement which was proposed back in 2018.
Under the statement, municipalities will be expected to hit a 50 per cent waste reduction and resource recovery of food and organic waste generated at multi-unit residential buildings by 2025.
“Unfortunately, the province hasn’t moved forward with this... but if they want to achieve that, we’re going to need to help them,” said Barrett. “Whether or not the province decides to implement or enforce it, we don’t know that yet. We want to divert as many organics as possible from the landfill.”
“This is a sector we haven’t touched yet.”
Barrett said the intention is for county staff to bring forward recommendations out of the pilot to County of Simcoe council in spring 2025, so if they opt to expand the program, the existing properties won’t be left with a gap in service.
“The idea is to get one full year of data, and then bring the decision to county council,” she said.
For more information on the County of Simcoe’s waste management strategy, click here.
-- With files from Nikki Cole
