Pitt Meadows is heeding the city’s call to reduce, reuse, recycle with new figures showing a 25 per cent decrease in garbage following the start of a curbside green waste program.
Between January and May, the amount of garbage generated by the city had a monthly average of 165 tonnes, then dropped to an average of 128.7 tonnes a month since the start of the curb side program in June.
It’s exactly what the city wanted to happen.
Still, staff did not expect to see such a drop in stuff headed for the landfill.
The volume of green waste collected at the curb so far is approximately 5.5 times more than the volume of garbage diverted.
“We didn’t think it would be five-and-a-half times the garbage volume,” said the city’s director of operations Kim Grout.
“It’s a bit more than we anticipated.”
With 40 per cent or more of the waste stream consisting of organics, less trash will be dumped into landfills and the region’s incinerator as more people embrace the program.
Right now, the city believes 70 per cent of single-family homes are participating. The city would like to achieve a 30 per cent diversion rate, at the very least.
The city aims to bring composting to multifamily homes, as well, and must have that program in place by 2015.
That’s the same year Metro committed to reach its ambitious target of recycling or composting 70 per cent of the waste stream from all sectors, including businesses, to rein in how much garbage is landfilled or burned.
Grout said her staff is preparing a report for council to review during budget discussion that will see the program rollout for townhouses next year.
In order to help offset the cost of collecting organics at the curb, staff will also be recommending the city consider no longer subsidizing the drop-off of yard waste at Meadows Landscape and apply the $63,600 savings to the curbside collection program.