City councillors look to keep food waste out of your garbage

City councillors are revisiting a conversation on ways to divert organic waste from the landfill after the province introduced a waste-related framework last year.

• Ontario wants to ban food waste from trash bags in five years 

The Food and Organic Waste Framework aims to cut down on the amount of food waste found in the trash, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emission for a "waste free Ontario."

Councillors in London are being met with two possible options to meet a city-proposed 60 per cent waste diversion target by 2022: a green bin program and a mixed waste composting initiative.

Jay Stanford, director of environment fleet and solid waste for the city, says the city should have a plan in place in the next few years.

Food and organic waste made up about a third of Ontario's total waste in 2014, according to the province. 

'Waste-free Ontario'

The green bin program — which city councillors have discussed in the past along with the introduction of a pilot project — would see a separate collection at the curb put in place. It would cost the city about 3.5 million each year, with an additional one-time equipment cost of $12 million.

A mixed waste composting initiative would cost about $7 million.

Stanford said although the cost is almost double that of the green bin program, the environmental impact would be much greater.

"It has substantially better environmental benefits in how much greenhouse gas is reduced as well as higher diversion - anywhere from 4 to 5 diversion points higher than a green bin system."

"The organic fraction like food scraps, potato peelings, any meats and fish that are being tossed out are left in the garbage bag, that material is then picked up as garbage normally is, and brought to a processing facility that would then extract the organic fraction of the garbage bag," said Stanford, who says the waste would turn into energy.

Councillors will only hear delegations looking into the options along with the provincial framework standards.

No decision will be made as staff continues to consult with the public.