Green bin pilot project OK'd by council

City council approved a pilot project on Monday for curbside composting in Calgary.

About 8,000 homes in four communities in different quadrants will be selected to try out the green bins next spring. 

The idea is to divert yard and kitchen waste from city landfills where they take up space and boost the city's greenhouse gas emissions.

The city estimated earlier this year that a comprehensive household green cart system could take 70,000 tons of organic material out of landfills every year.

After one year officials will evaluate how well the new service worked.

If the project is a success, Calgary could have a city-wide system in place by 2015