Large Ont. cities have 7 years to add curbside collection of organic and food waste

Large cities in southern Ontario have seven years to add a program that will collect and process food and organic waste.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change approved a framework this week that expands collection of food and organic waste requirements to apartment buildings, shopping centres, public institutions and certain sized municipalities.

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

That would bring curbside green bin collection to large southern Ontario cities like Windsor, Sarnia and London, according to the guidelines released by the province earlier this week. 

There were 37 municipalities in Ontario that offered curb-side compost pick-up in 2016.

Denied for cost

The Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority looked into adding a green bin collection program in 2014 but decided the $1.5-million price tag was too expensive. 

Bringing organic and food collection to Windsor could mean a change in collection schedules. 

"What we've seen in other municipalities is there would have to be possibly a reduction in frequency of garbage collection," said Eli Maodus, the general manager of Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority.

• Curbside compost pickup deemed too expensive for Windsor-Essex

People in Windsor currently have weekly garbage pick up.

Maodus said the waste authority won't be doing anything to prepare for these changes until 2019 in case there is a change in provincial government, which could result in changes to the framework. 

'A beautiful thing'

One Walkerville cafe has attempted to compost in the past but the owner said the logistics were too much to handle without curbside pick-up. 

"It really bothers me, waste of any sort of condition whether its plastics, food," said Linda Zagaglioni, Owner, Taloola Cafe, which offers take-out boxes, utensils and cups that can be composted.

"To have this come about to make it easier for people to do so is always a beautiful thing."

Here are the stipulations

These are the locations which can expect to add a curbside collection program within the next seven years according to the provincial policy statement:

• Any municipality with more than 50,000 people a population density of 300 persons per square kilometre.
• Any municipality with more than 20,000 but less than 50,000 and a population density 100 persons per square kilometre.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change said there are supports through the Municipal GHG Challenge Fund.