City pleased with rollout of organics program

Heather Dzurko, manager of waste management for Kawartha Lakes, is pleased with public acceptance and participation in the first few weeks of the city’s new organics collection program.
“The start of the program has been a success,” Dzurko told Kawartha Lakes Weekly, “but with the public’s help we know we can make it even better.”
Dzurko said that across eligible households in Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay and Omemee the municipality collected 61 per cent of their weekly target in the first two weeks of the program.
When asked if Miller Waste had provided her department a breakdown of collection by community, Dzurko replied that the waste was only measured in its entirety, and the numbers are very promising.
“Together, all four urban areas have diverted 37.88 tonnes of food and organic waste from our landfills within the first two weeks of the program,” Dzurko said. “The municipality generates an estimated 4500 tonnes of organic waste per year, and we hope to divert 1,600 tonnes from the landfill each year through the new urban organics program.”
Dzurko said that diverting organic materials from regular waste has many other environmental benefits beyond preserving landfill space. Those include reducing greenhouse gases and creating valuable resources for local farmers.
As the program moves forward, Dzurko wants to remind the public that if a resident is within the urban areas of Kawartha Lakes, the program requires mandatory participation.
“Regular waste (garbage) will not be collected if more than 10 per cent of a resident’s garbage bag is organics,” Dzurko said. “To allow residents to adapt to the program, the municipality is providing them a grace period. Details of the grace period will be shared with the community soon.”
“It is important,” Dzurko continued, “to note that organics bins with unacceptable materials or items will be left behind effective immediately to avoid contamination and protect the processing plant.”
When asked what the city will need to do to get even more people involved, Dzurko suggested that access to information and answers about the organics program will be a key to even better compliance.
“The organics program will continue to develop and grow and the municipality is committed to providing the public with information to ensure the program is a success,” Dzurko said. “Residents are asked to visit our website, reference the calendar, or call our service centres with any questions or concerns regarding the organics program.”
Dzurko admitted that implementing a new program will always have its challenges, and that the municipality does expect some varying levels of participation due to several reasons such as weather, holidays and adaptation to a new routine and new schedule.
“Over the next couple of months, we will be working with residents and Miller Waste to address any issues and encourage better participation,” Dzurko said.
When asked about the public pushback against the program registered on the city website by numerous residents who cited the need, the cost and the inconvenience of the program, Dzurko said that the municipality had no choice about implementing the organics program to comply with the provincial governments Food and Organic Waste policy.
“The provincially mandated policy requires municipalities to have a program in place that reduces food and organic waste by 50 per cent in urban settlement areas by 2025,” Dzurko said.
Dzurko said she is not surprised there was public pushback against the green bin program.
“As with any new program, there is often resistance to change,” Dzurko said. “These types of initial reactions are not desired, but anticipated. The municipality has been strategic in its approach to implementing the new program, to ensure delivery is fiscally responsible and effective. We will continue to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.”
After the first collection, I phoned the City to ask some questions and was told the program is still trying to work out the bugs. For example, the first time I put out my organics bin, I found it, after collection, full of egg shells, orange peels, and tea bags. That is apparently because, as a senior, it takes me three weeks to fill up an organic bag and during that time, it disintegrates. The city staffer, who was very nice, suggested I double bag my organic waste but instead, I will use a plastic container to hold my organic waste until the night before collection then deposit it all into an organic waste bag. I am not quite old enough to have grown up during the Great Depression but I don’t like waste or wasteful spending and won’t therefore double bag or put out a bag only 1/3 full. The only other barrier I have found using this program is with the bigger bins we are expected to put the smaller bins in to “wheel” them to the curb. In the snow, wheeling the bin down my long drive simply isn’t an option so I have to carry it to the curb and it is kinda heavy and awkward for this old gal. In the warmer weather, this won’t be a problem of course and I like that the bigger bin has a latch to protect the waste from local wildlife looking for some fast food. I am happy to participate in this program and trust the City will work out the bugs.