Compost collection may be coming to the Sea to Sky Corridor.
On Feb. 10, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) put out a request for proposals for a composting feasibility study for the entire 16,353-square-kilometre region that includes Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and Lillooet.
The SLRD is one of 188 governments signed onto the provincial Climate Action Charter whereby signatories committed to have carbon neutral operations by 2012. As of next year, the province will penalize municipalities for their previous year's emissions.
Collecting food scraps could save the regional district cash, said Brooke Carere, SLRD environmental and utilities services technician. When organics hit the landfill, they take decades to decompose and create significant amounts of the methane. Based on the standard 100-year global warming potential, methane is 21 times more potent than CO2 because of its longer presence in the atmosphere. The B.C. government estimates that every tonne of organic waste that is diverted from the landfill results in approximately a one-tonne reduction of GHG emissions.
Waste composition studies illustrate that compostable material accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the residential waste stream, Carere said, noting the feasibility study will examine both residential and commercial collection.
"As far as our diversion rates, that would be a great place to start," she said.
Current composting options for SLRD residents are limited to their backyards and organics depot drop-off locations in Whistler and Squamish. A commercial food scraps collection program has been established for several large hotels and restaurants in Whistler through Carney's Waste Services.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler owns a composting facility located on Callaghan Valley Road. Last year, the facility processed 12,790 tonnes of compost, eliminating approximately an equal amount of GHGs from the atmosphere.
This week, Squamish put out its own request for proposals for yard waste collection. Squamish residents generate approximately 1,200 tonnes of yard waste per year, said Rod MacLeod, the district's capital projects manager. Of that, 300 tonnes is dropped off at the landfill.
"That means 800 to 900 tonnes of yard waste people probably cut up into small pieces and put into the garbage," he said. "Some gets burned and some thrown into vacant lots."
The district needs to make it easy for people to do the right thing, MacLeod said. Preliminary estimates place the bill for yard waste collection at roughly $100,000 a year.
All three North Shore municipalities are starting composting pick-up in May, making them the largest composting body in the Lower Mainland, District of West Vancouver spokesperson Jessica Delaney said. Tipping fees are going up in the industry, which adds a cash incentive to reducing waste, she said.
"It is not just that it is a good thing for the environment, it is good finances," Delaney said.
The North Shore program will be delivered by the North Shore Recycling Program, with green waste going to a transfer station in the District of North Vancouver. By 2016, West Vancouver officials expect to see 70 per cent of the community's waste diverted from landfills.
While West Vancouver's neighbours have voted to pick up compost with yard waste, West Vancouver has opted for a separate, smaller bin for its food scraps. Through public consultation, district officials determined that residents would be more willing to compost if the bin could fit within their kitchens. The district has dedicated $400,000 toward its green bin program.
Like Squamish, the North Shore has issues with bears. To cut down on attractants, the District of West Vancouver prohibits residents from putting their garbage out for collection before 7 a.m. Last year, there were no bear deaths in the district.
