NEWS ARCHIVES

November 13, 2009

Breaking down organics: The Green Bin Program explained

My office has received many inquiries related to the City’s new Green Bin Program, especially those concerned with the proposed fee structure as well as those who already compost at home.

In May 2008, Council approved the implementation of the Green Bin Program. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has set a waste diversion target for municipalities to redirect 60 per cent of their waste from disposal.

The City of Ottawa’s Blue and Black Box Recycling Programs have been successful. However, Ottawa’s diversion rate has remained at 32 per cent - one of the lowest in Ontario due to the absence of an organics program, which forms largest portion of the residential waste stream (approximately 45 per cent of our garbage).

The Green Bin Program will extend the life of the City’s landfill. Locating and building a new landfill is expensive. Toronto recently spent over $220 million to purchase a new landfill that is expected to last 15 years if they achieve a 42 per cent diversion rate, 26 years if they achieve a 70 per cent diversion rate. No neighbourhood is anxious for a landfill in their backyard, as we have experienced first-hand. In 2006, more than 3,000 residents voiced their concerns about the Carp Road Landfill expanding. The Green Bin program is one step in responding to the community, and ensuring that landfilling is not a viable option for waste-handling.

Along with most of the larger municipalities in Ontario, including Hamilton, Toronto, the Regions of Durham, York, and Halton, and other smaller centres like Perth and Pembroke, Council weighed the environmental and economic benefits, and decided to proceed with the Green Bin Program.

The Green Bin Program is the same as the Black and Blue Box recycling programs. A household may choose not to participate and can refuse a Bin. However, the household will still be charged for the service.

For those residents who already compost, I encourage you to continue doing so. However, the Green Bin Program can accept a lot of materials that are not suitable for backyard composting.

Currently, the total cost for waste and recycling pick-up services for an average household per year is about $138, more for properties with a high assessment, less for those that are below the average. The average price of a home in Ottawa is approximately $290,000.

Under the proposed arrangement, waste costs - recycling, organics collection and residual garbage - will be taken off the assessment portion of the residential tax bill and charged as a flat rate user fee on the tax bill. It will be $195 for each household. This is a difference of approximately $57 from last year. However, depending on your assessed value and what you paid last year, you may end up saving money with this arrangement.

The estimated breakdown of costs is: $86 for garbage collection, $41 for recycling collection, and $68 for green bin collection, which begins in January.

The Province has mandated municipalities to reach a 60 per cent waste diversion target by 2010. With Blue and Black Box recycling, and the new Green Bin, the City will reach the Province's target for waste diversion.

Recycling has the added benefit of extending the life of our landfill site, which will save taxpayers millions of dollars. A new landfill site would cost more than $100 million - a more expensive proposition for local taxpayers than the changes that are being proposed.

Further, many residents have raised the topic of incineration as a means of dealing with municipal waste. Unfortunately, this too is an extremely expensive endeavour, but it is something that I am pushing for in the future, stemming from the recommendations I made concerning the Waste to Energy Tour I attended in Sweden.

As well, some residents have pointed to Plasco as reason enough to forgo an organics program. However, Plasco’s operation is more effective when the wet garbage – the organic matter – is removed from the waste it treats.

For more information, including what can be placed in the Green Bin, please visit www.greenbinottawa.ca. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
 

Always listening and acting on your concerns

As your Councillor, I always welcome your keen input and ideas on how we can sustain and improve Stittsville.

Please contact our office anytime by phone at 613-580-2476 or by e-mail at Shad.Qadri@ottawa.ca.

My ward office is located in the Goulbourn Recreation Complex, located at 1500 Shea Road. The hours of operation are Mondays 9-2pm, Wednesdays 3-8pm, Fridays 9-4pm, and Saturday 9-1pm. Please do not hesitate to pay us a visit. I welcome your call or e-mail to arrange an appointment.

If you are not part of my electronic outreach list and would like to be added, please contact my office to ensure you receive pertinent information concerning our community. 

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