City of Peterborough Marks One-Year Anniversary of Green Bin Program
/The City of Peterborough’s Green Bin program for curbside collection of household organic waste marked its first anniversary Thursday.
(from left to right) Councillor Alex Bierk, Councillor Joy LaChica, Mayor Jeff Leal and Councillor Gary Baldwin. The bins are able to keep pests and other animals from being rummaging through. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Over 28,000 households participated in the waste diversion service.
In the past year, more than 6,000 tonnes of organics have been diverted from the City-County landfill, resulting in an overall waste diversion rate of 76 per cent.
“The Green Bin program is a critical way for our municipality to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and divert waste from the landfill, helping to extend its life,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “I thank Peterborough residents who have overwhelmingly adopted this program over the past year: your dedication has made it a success. By effectively sorting organic waste, including removing food packaging and plastics, our residents can ensure that our composting facility is producing a high-quality end product.”
To mark the anniversary of the service, the City is celebrating its success and sharing information on the need to continue being diligent about what gets put into the Green Bin to protect the compost created through the process.
Organic material is processed into compost through a series of steps, from weigh-in and mixing to the climate-controlled GORE bunkers to final screening at the organic waste processing facility on Bensfort Road.
Future phases of the program are expected to consider expanding service to include multi-residential and commercial participants.
The site operator manages the compost produced at the facility. Between May 1 and Nov. 30, a portion of compost is available to residents for purchase at the City-County Landfill. The City’s Environmental Services division also coordinates compost donations to the City’s community gardens.
This project received $6.1 million in funding through the Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund.
Green Bin sorting tips
Remove any packaging or wrappers from food before disposal. Coffee pods may commonly be labelled as compostable, but cannot be processed at our facility.
Only certified compostable/BPI bags are accepted – products that are labelled biodegradable may not be processed by our facility
Yard waste which includes leaves and brush should be sorted separately for weekly pickup, April through November.
