What an organics (green bin) collection program would look like

Start-up costs

It’s expected that green bin program costs will be similar to recycling (blue box) program costs, with added start-up costs estimated to be approximately $2.7 million for the distribution of one green bin and kitchen collection container to every single-family home.

Pick up

Participating residents would place their green bin at the curb for pick up based on their collection schedule.

Acceptable materials

Allowable materials in the green bin would include food waste. Other organic materials, such as pet waste, sanitary products, yard waste and diapers, are not expected to be included but will be considered.

Environmental impact

It is estimated that the County has approximately 5,200 - 9,200 tonnes of residential organic (green bin) material available for collection. A 50% County participation rate in the program could extend the life of our landfill site by 10 years.

Considerations

In implementing a future organics collection program, the County will be looking at whether the program is offered:

• County-wide (all eight area municipalities);
• only in the three urban areas; or,
• in a hybrid approach (urban areas and villages).

Organics (green bin) collection is not always offered in rural areas, as rural residents often compost their organic material on their own. In fact, in Oxford County, the average garbage bag (by weight) consists of 60% organic material in urban areas and 49% in rural areas.

Further, curbside collection program costs increase exponentially when collecting in rural areas, as the cost to collect per kilometer is high in comparison to the amount of material collected.

The County will also need to consider the frequency (how often) in which garbage is picked up, since the amount of garbage set out by residents each week is expected to be much less with the introduction of an organics collection program.