A greener way to dispose of compostable materials is on the horizon for Chatham-Kent.
Council will vote at Monday night’s council meeting on whether or not to approve a recommended program for organic waste diversion.
Residents were asked to complete a survey last summer on how the program could be shaped.
Ontario’s food and organic waste policy statement required municipalities like Chatham-Kent to reduce their organic waste by 50 percent by 2025.
These recommendations will help CK divert organic waste from landfills. In their report to the council, Huda Oda, the municipality of Chatham-Kent’s waste management manager, suggests that council approve a backyard composter program, a standardized curbside leaf and yard waste collection program, and a pilot depot food waste digester program.
The capital costs for the recommended program are estimated at just under $4.3 million, with operating costs around $2.2 million. The report states that the major long-term costs will come from planned budgets and savings, while targeted and general taxation will cover ongoing costs.
Oda mentions in her report that seven waste collector/equipment operator positions, one dispatcher position, and one supervisor of operations position will be hired and approved by January 2027.
As for what residents could expect, Oda writes that a backyard composting program would be made available for interested residents with the municipality purchasing backyard composters in bulk and selling them to interested residents for $20 each.
Bagged leaf and yard waste collection would be bi-weekly from April to November with two designated dates for live Christmas tree collections. With collection in Thamesville and Ridgetown, would remain the same.
And “a depot food waste digester pilot program will be implemented in 2028 at the Harwich Depot for one year, which will allow assessment of the viability of expanding this solution to add depots.”
Ultimately, a green bin program was deemed too costly for the municipality and is not being recommended, with the hope the backyard composter will be approved.
If the programs are approved, administration will immediately begin working on implementing these new waste management protocols.