It’s one of the most positive changes in Squamish this year, but it happens mostly behind the closed doors of our homes and gets little fanfare. We should be celebrating its success.
The organics recycling program was introduced only this summer and has already made a huge dent in the amount of garbage being sent to the landfill. Garbage volume has dropped 14.6 per cent compared with 2014 due to the new program, the District of Squamish announced last week. That’s a great start, especially considering not all households have begun pitching in. District statistics indicate there is a potential for a 50 per cent reduction in trash.
Residents know the program by the green totes that were delivered to their homes between May and September of this year. The program was rolled out in phases, so it’s very new to those who live in townhouse developments but about half a year old for those who live in single houses or duplexes and received their totes in the first deliveries in May.
Adoption of the program seems to be gradual. Walking through downtown on Monday, the pickup day for both the green organics bins and the blue recycling totes, you could not help but notice that the blue ones were in front of almost every house but the green ones only in front of every second house.
This could be for a number of reasons; some people may not have read the brochure that came with their totes and smaller kitchen container and may not know how to start. Others may be overwhelmed by the odours produced by rotting organic waste or be worried about maggots crawling in their bins.
The District of Squamish has already addressed many of these issues on its website, which perhaps could be better promoted so residents know how to use the bins properly. Wrapping food scraps in newspaper, for example, and throwing the whole package in the bin instead of the food scraps alone will reduce the stench that inevitably arises from rotting food.
And packaging bones and meat scraps in newsprint then placing in a bag in your freezer until collection morning will also help. Just toss in the frozen meat package before wheeling the tote to the curb.
With the Squamish landfill close to capacity and council now planning to build walls to expand it vertically, garbage is a serious and expensive issue. The organics program is a positive way to reduce the amount of trash sent to the Squamish landfill.
– Editor Christine Endicott
