Curbside Organic Waste Collection

February 14, 2023 - Engagement activities for Phase 2 of the Curbside Organic Waste Collection Program–Pilot Program–included a series of surveys at the beginning, middle, and end of the pilot program.

The intent of the surveys was to consult with residents on pilot routes; to gather feedback on what worked well and what might need improvement before a community-wide organics program is implemented; and to measure changes in attitudes and behaviours of pilot participants over the duration of the pilot program.

Survey #1 was open September 22 to October 29, 2021 and received 535 responses (a 24% overall response rate); survey #2 was open February 16 to March 14, 2022 and received 733 responses (a 33% overall response rate); and survey #3 was open September 9 to 30, 2022 and received 630 responses (a 28% overall response rate).

Below are some highlights from the Summary Report of Surveys #1 - #3

• A majority of respondents said they support organic waste collection (79% in the first survey and 78% in both the second and third surveys).
• A majority of respondents agreed with the statement “Reducing what goes in the landfill is the right thing to do” (90% in survey #1, 92% on survey #2, and 94% on survey #3).
• A majority of respondents participated regularly. By the end of the pilot program, 86% of respondents were participating regularly, with 72% placing their organics carts at the curb every week, and 14% putting their carts out most weeks. The participation rate for those who regularly used their cart was up from 78% on survey #2 (when 59% placed carts out every week and 19% placed carts out most weeks).
• A majority of home composters who took the surveys support the program. By the end of the pilot program, 93% of home composters placed their organics carts out at least once (up from 88% in survey #2), and 73% of the same group have placed their carts out more than 10 times.
• When asked as home composters what types of organic waste they are placing in their organics carts, a majority of these respondents selected the categories of “food scraps I shouldn’t/can’t compost at home like meat, bones, oils, and cooked foods”; “food-soiled paper that shouldn’t go in recycling, like dirty napkins”, and “yard waste”.
• Food waste diversion increased significantly over the pilot program duration. Prior to the pilot, 6% of respondents stated that they diverted all of their food waste; by the mid-point, this increased to 41%; and by the end, 44% said they were diverting all of their food waste.
• Soiled paper waste diversion also increased. Prior to the pilot, 14% of respondents stated that they diverted most or all of their soiled paper waste; by the mid-point, that number rose to 63%; by the end, the figure was 65%.
• A majority of respondents were not significantly impacted by biweekly garbage collection. 79% of respondents said biweekly garbage had an insignificant/no impact or a moderate impact, up from 77% on survey #2.
• A majority of respondents were not significantly impacted by biweekly recycling collection. 78% of respondents said biweekly recycling had an insignificant/no impact or a moderate impact, up from 73% on survey #2.
• By the end of the pilot program, 76% of respondents said their experience was excellent or good (up from 71% on survey #2). The top reason chosen for that was “I like that I’m not putting as much waste into the garbage”. The other 24% who indicated their experience as fair or poor cited biweekly garbage and recycling and inability to use compostable plastic liners during the pilot program as the top reasons.
  
  

Read the full Summary Report of Surveys #1-#3.

November 7, 2022 - There is a lot of confusion out there about plastic items that are labelled as biodegradable and compostable and whether they can or should go in the organics cart (e.g. compostable plastic bin liners). The labels imply that such items break down and disintegrate, but it’s more complicated than that. Consumers are not in the wrong to believe that, but the terms biodegradable and compostable are ambiguous.

So, what’s the deal?

Plastics that are certified as biodegradable or compostable will break down—but only under specific conditions, including a minimum period of time and when exposed to a certain minimum temperature.

The challenge is that not all composting facilities operate under these conditions. If they don’t, the plastics won’t break down properly and can end up contaminating the finished product and polluting the environment. They can also introduce microplastics and chemical additives into the soil as they break down.

In addition, use of the terms biodegradable and compostable is not regulated, which means that some of the products on the market labelled as such may not actually break down, even under the required specific conditions.

To address these challenges, the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy is recommending the removal of biodegradable and compostable plastic from the list of acceptable materials in composting facilities in a forthcoming update to the provincial Organic Matter Recycling Regulation, scheduled for release in 2023.

In the meantime, anyone receiving curbside organic waste collection wanting to line their bin is asked to use paper-based liners only. Learn how to make your own from newsprint or use any paper-based liner, such as paper shopping bags, cereal/cracker boxes, parchment paper (not wax paper), or paper takeout boxes.

August 17, 2022 - Council has authorized a city-wide curbside residential organic waste collection program. This city-wide program, which expands on a year-long pilot program that is nearing completion, will see organic waste collection added to all 27,000 residential homes in Kamloops that currently receive curbside garbage and recycling collection. The community rollout is scheduled to start in mid to late 2023.

Glen Farrow, the City’s Streets and Environmental Services Manager, said the pilot program has provided an opportunity to test the program with a smaller group of residents across a handful of collection routes, before expanding the scope city wide.

“The community rollout represents phase 3 of the multi-phased approach that Council authorized in December 2020. First, we conducted extensive public engagement in phase 1 and then, in phase 2, we launched the pilot program in five select neighbourhoods,” explained Farrow.

“While we are still in the last part of the pilot, through our data collection and engagement with pilot residents to date, we are confident in understanding what we need to tweak for a successful community rollout,” he added, noting the reality of current supply chain challenges and inflation are also a factor in seeking Council’s authorization prior to the pilot program’s completion.

“We are seeing majority support for this program from the broader public and from the pilot program participants, so moving forward with Council approval right now will save us time and money from a supply chain and future costs perspective. For example, now that the city-wide program has been authorized, we can order the organics curbside bins, which will take about six months to arrive,” said Farrow.

The program will cost residents receiving curbside residential solid waste collection one dollar more per month on their utility bills. The initial capital start-up costs will be covered by current reserves and grant funding. The City has received a $1.78 million grant from the Province’s Clean BC Organic Infrastructure and Collection Program.

Research during the pilot program shows that, on average, 3.3 kg of organic waste is collected each week from each pilot household and that the organic waste consists of approximately 75% food scraps (and soiled paper waste) and 25% yard waste.

The city-wide residential organic waste collection program will see approximately 4,600 tonnes of organic waste diverted from the City’s landfills annually and is estimated to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 9,500 tonnes per year (equivalent to removing 2,000 passenger vehicles from local roads for one year).

Next Steps

In September 2022, pilot program households will have the opportunity to share feedback in a third and final survey as the one-year pilot program wraps up. Feedback from the pilot program residents will continue to inform adjustments in planning for the launch of a community-wide program.

Once the pilot program has formally ended, curbside residential solid waste collection for households on the pilot program routes will remain the same as during the pilot program with alternating biweekly garbage and recycling collection and weekly organics collection.

City-wide implementation is anticipated to start in mid to late 2023. City staff will undertake a comprehensive communications and information campaign before the rollout to help prepare and educate residents who will be part of the city-wide curbside residential organic waste collection program.

May 4, 2022 - Seven months into the Curbside Organic Waste Collection Pilot Program, City staff are feeling optimistic about the success of a future community-wide organics program should Council approve an expanded program.

The pilot program began in September 2021, and since then, two surveys for residents on pilot routes have been administered. The mid-point survey, which was completed in March 2022, provided staff important indicators on the program’s progress, building on baseline data from the fall 2021 survey. Read the summary report from the mid-point survey here.

“It’s been really encouraging to see the support and engagement from residents in the pilot neighbourhoods in terms of participating in the program and providing feedback. We wanted to hear the good, bad and the ugly, and we have–and we thank the pilot residents because we need that range of feedback to adjust certain things and to move ahead successfully,” said Glen Farrow, the City’s Streets and Environmental Services Manager.

The second pilot survey, which had 200 more responses than the first survey, showed a continued majority support (77%) for organics collection. A majority of home composters (72%), as an individual segment, support the program.

Farrow presented a summary of the pilot program to date at the April 19 Civic Operations Committee meeting. He says a very encouraging statistic relates to the diversion rates that staff have been tracking.

“At the beginning of the pilot, when asked how much food waste their household diverted from the garbage, 36% said ‘none’ and 6% said they diverted all of their food waste. By the mid-point, that ratio had inverted—41% of respondents now said they diverted all of their food waste, and the number of people who diverted none was down to just 7%,” Farrow explained.

“I think it demonstrates that with a little effort, people can adapt to an organics program and that our residents are willing to do just that. Residents are excited to have a service that helps them further reduce their waste,” he said.

The Curbside Organic Waste Collection Pilot Program is in Phase 2 of a multi-year program that aims to reduce the amount of garbage sent to landfill and greenhouse gas emissions. Phase 1 included a feasibility study and waste audit that examined benefits of such a program, and Phase 3 expands on the pilot program to include 27,000 residential homes following completion of the pilot program.

To date, the City has received a $1.78 million grant from the Province’s Clean BC Organic Infrastructure and Collection Program to support the expanded community-wide residential organics collection starting in late 2023.

Pilot Survey No. 2 Highlights

• There were 733 survey respondents (198 more than the first survey in fall 2021).
• 77% of respondents said they support organic waste collection (consistent with 79% support indicated in the first survey).
• 92% of respondents agreed with the statements “Reducing what goes in the landfill is the right thing to do” and “Composting helps the environment”.
• 60% of respondents are placing their organics carts at the curb every week (19% place their cart out on most weeks; 14% place their cart out occasionally).
• 88% of home composters have placed their organics carts out at least once. When asked as home composters what they like best about the program, the top reason chosen was “I like using it for food scraps I shouldn’t/can’t compost at home like meat, bones, oils, and cooked foods”.
• Food waste diversion rates have increased significantly. Prior to the pilot program, 6% of respondents diverted all of their food waste, and by the mid-point, 41% said they diverted all food waste.
• Soiled paper waste diversion rates have also increased. Prior to the pilot program 14% diverted most or all of their soiled paper waste, and by the mid-point, that number rose to 63%.
• 71% of respondents said their experience has been excellent or good. The top reason chosen for that was “I like that I’m not putting as much waste into the garbage”. The other 29% who indicated their experience as fair or poor cited biweekly garbage and recycling and inability to use compostable plastic liners during the pilot program as the top reasons.
• 77% of respondents overall said biweekly garbage had an insignificant/no impact or a moderate impact. That reflects data from the first survey in which 78% of respondents said they were either somewhat concerned or not concerned.

Next Steps

During the April 19 Civic Operations Committee meeting, Farrow stated that the numbers across the board are very encouraging and indicate that our community overall can successfully adapt and that key learnings from the pilot program are providing staff with areas of focus for future planning.

“We’re hearing that people want to be able to use compostable plastic bin liners, so we would like to include that stipulation in our requirement for a long-term processor. We’re also proposing having an option for residents to upsize their recycling carts,” said Farrow, noting the collection frequency model still requires Council’s direction.

Council will hear another update at the June 7 Committee of the Whole meeting. Meanwhile, the pilot program continues until end of summer 2022.

December 7, 2021 - Three months into the Curbside Organic Waste Collection Pilot Program, City staff are pleased with the program’s progress.

Tracking data shows that a majority of residents on the pilot routes are participating in the program. Across the five pilot routes, 64% of households are setting out their organics carts each week, which is contributing to a significant reduction in garbage headed to the landfill.

An average of 2,300 kg of organic waste was collected daily from September 20 to December 3, totalling 120,500 kg of organic waste diverted from the landfill to date.

“We’ve had staff out monitoring, tracking, and documenting all three streams of waste—organics, garbage, and recycling. The participation rates and the amount of organics collected so far is very encouraging, and as a result, that waste is being diverted from the garbage stream,” said Marcia Dick, the City’s Solid Waste Reduction Coordinator.

“Through comparison of garbage weights over last year on our pilot routes, garbage weights are down 41% on average,” added Dick, who presented a summary of the program to-date at the December 6 Civic Operations Committee meeting.

The Curbside Organic Waste Collection Pilot Program is in Phase 2 of a multi-year program that aims to reduce the amount of garbage sent to landfill and greenhouse gas emissions. Phase 1 included a feasibility study and waste audit that examined benefits of such a program, and Phase 3 expands on the pilot program to include 27,000 residential homes following completion of the pilot.

The City has just received a $1.78 million grant from the Province’s Clean BC Organic Infrastructure and Collection Program to support the expanded community-wide residential organics collection starting in late 2023.

Pilot Survey Highlights
The City is gathering feedback from residents on pilot routes to learn what works well and what could be improved before community-wide implementation. Results from the first survey of pilot residents in fall 2021 indicate a strong level of support. Of the 535 survey respondents, 79% said they support organic waste collection.

The survey showed that top concerns include cart cleanliness/keeping the organics cart clean and the possibility of attracting fruit flies and rodents. Tracking the attitudes of home composters is also a key part of the pilot. Of the 39% of survey respondents that already compost at home, 73% said they support organic waste collection.

When it come to the shift to biweekly garbage and recycling collection, survey data showed that around half of respondents are not concerned.

"This is a key piece of data, as we anticipated the change in collection would be a challenge. The information is showing us that while biweekly collection is a concern for many households, households can adapt,” explained Dick.

“We do allow pilot residents to put excess material out for collection. So far, we haven’t seen a lot of extra garbage or recycling at the curb; about a dozen residents on a 500-household route put out excess material at the curb.”

Find the full survey report here or click in the Documents section of this web page.

Next Steps
Staff will continue monitoring how the pilot program is working and will continue engaging with pilot residents for their feedback. Staff will prepare another report in spring 2022 that will include an update on all aspects of the curbside residential organic waste collection program, including waste diversion data, public engagement information, pilot participation data, potential costs for community-wide implementation, and the results of all funding opportunities pursued to date.

October 12, 2021 - The Curbside Organic Waste Collection Pilot Program officially began on September 20 and in the first three weeks, 32,500 kg of organic waste was collected and diverted from the landfill.

“We are happy to see that so many residents started using the carts right away, and we hope to see more organics carts at the curb now that most residents on pilot routes are aware that the pilot has begun,” said Glen Farrow, the City’s Streets and Environmental Services Manager.

“As a pilot program, we are testing organic waste collection to learn what works well, what could be improved for a community-wide program, and the barriers to participation. The more people we have participating, the more data and feedback we can collect,” said Farrow.

All pilot residents, whether they are using the organics carts or not, are invited to take the first pilot program survey, open until October 29. Respondents can enter to win one of three $100 gift cards to Downtown Kamloops businesses.

Pilot residents are also encouraged to subscribe to monthly e-newsletter updates. Survey links will be shared through e-newsletters (or by mail), to subscribed participants only.

With the launch of the pilot and the changes to a familiar waste collection system, there have been several learning opportunities.

Biweekly Garbage and Recycling Collection
“The biggest change for the pilot residents is the shift to biweekly garbage and recycling collection. Organics carts are collected weekly, while garbage and recycling carts are now collected on an alternating biweekly basis,” said Farrow.

“Our research into other municipalities with organics programs showed other communities have successfully adapted to biweekly garbage collection. Approximately 42% of household trash can be composted as organic waste, so placing that waste into the organics cart means less garbage overall, and in turn that supports a shift to biweekly garbage collection.”

“Recycling collection varies in other communities. We are testing biweekly recycling collection because if it works, then we can minimize costs. We want to see if residents can adjust to biweekly recycling, but we know it will be a challenge for some households, especially with an increase in online shopping in recent years.”

Kitchen Bin Liners
Another challenge revolves around best practices in lining the kitchen organic waste bin. Bins should be lined with paper-based products like paper bags, cereal boxes, or folded newspaper to help keep them clean. Unfortunately, some commercial compost bin liners labelled as compostable or biodegradable do not break down in the composting facility.

“The composting facility we are currently using does not accept compostable or biodegradable plastic bag bin liners. These items take much longer to break down and leave behind small pieces of plastics, contaminating the finished compost product,” explained Farrow.

Wildlife Interactions
During the public engagement phase, the potential for wildlife interactions was expressed as a concern by many. Wildlife, including bears, are attracted to the smell of organic waste whether it is in a garbage cart, organics cart, backyard compost, a fruit tree, a BBQ, in bird feeders, or pet food left outdoors.

So far, the City has not received any reports from either pilot residents or conservation officers of bears related to organics carts on pilot routes. Residents are reminded to properly manage organic material on their property to reduce wildlife attractants.

Some tips to reduce attractants in waste include wrapping meat scraps and bones in newspaper or paper towel, consider freezing meat and fish scraps until collection day, and layering organics carts with dry material such as yard waste or newspaper.

Residents unsure if they are on a pilot route or not, can view the pilot routes map.

July 12, 2021 - The City of Kamloops is pleased to announce that the Curbside Organic Waste Collection Program will be shifting into Phase 2, the pilot program, in September 2021.

The pilot program involves testing organic waste collection in select neighbourhoods to learn what works well and what would need to be improved for a community-wide program. The pilot program will last for one year until August 2022, allowing the City sufficient time to gather feedback and data across all four seasons.

The pilot program is focused on single-family residential properties already on curbside collection; multi-family complexes and commercial properties will be addressed in the future.

Five pilot routes, one route in each of the five collection zones, have been selected. There is no additional cost to any resident involved in the pilot program.

“We selected the pilot routes based on areas where we expect high participation and volumes, areas where we expect low participation and volumes, areas where we know there are wildlife issues, and areas with laneway collection,” said Marcia Dick, the City’s Solid Waste Services Analyst.

“For example, one of the top concerns we heard during our public consultation phase was around organics being a potential wildlife attractant, so we selected a route where there is wildlife activity. Similarly, we want to get a sense of how much organic waste we will be collecting from residents, so we selected high- and low-volume areas to help us estimate average volumes. We also want to understand the barriers to participation and what, if anything, we can do to help residents overcome those barriers,” explained Dick.

The pilot routes are as follows:

• Zone 1: Westsyde (West of Westsyde Road from Sicamore Drive to Riverview Road)
• Zone 2: Brock/North Kamloops (between 8th Street to Valhalla Drive, and Tranquille Road to Pembroke Avenue)
• Zone 3: North Kamloops/McDonald Park (between Cottonwood Avenue, Tranquille Road, and sections of Royal Avenue)
• Zone 4: Upper Sahali (south/east of Summit Drive from Pineridge Estates to Highway 5A)
• Zone 5: Juniper West (Qu’Appelle Boulevard and Galore Crescent area) and sections of Valleyview west of Highland Road (sections of Valleyview Drive and Glenwood Drive; Orchard Drive)
  
  

Click here to view a detailed map of pilot routes and to confirm if your address is on a pilot route. Households on pilot routes are encouraged to subscribe to receive information updates to ensure they don’t miss important information, such as changes to their waste collection schedules, or opportunities to learn more about organics collection.

The City will be sending a letter to all residents and property owners on the pilot routes with information about the pilot program and instructions on how to subscribe to receive information updates and provide feedback throughout the pilot.

“Two-way communication and resident feedback are very important to the success of the pilot program,” explained Dick. “All households on all pilot routes will receive an organics cart, a kitchen bin, and an information package, regardless of whether or not they subscribe, but we’re hopeful the pilot households will want to participate and provide their feedback.”

Organics carts and kitchen bins are expected to be delivered to pilot addresses between late August and mid September (on weekdays), and organics collection is expected to begin the week of September 20. Residents should not use their organics carts or bins until collection has started.

Operations for the pilot program include using the City’s current fleet of trucks. The material will be taken to a locally established transfer station prior to being transported by Arrow Transport to its composting facility in Princeton, BC.

April 6, 2021 - The City of Kamloops is launching an online survey and announcing two virtual information sessions as public engagement efforts for the Curbside Organic Waste Collection Project continue.

The Curbside Organic Waste Collection page on the City’s Let’s Talk engagement website was launched in February with a quick poll and a Q&A feature. The poll was intended to take a snapshot of support for the program. Of the 1,555 people who responded, 84% of respondents support an organic waste collection program.

Over 100 questions were received in the website’s Q&A section, and the most common questions formed the themes for the survey and the virtual information session presentation slides.

Online Survey
The survey seeks to understand attitudes and habits around garbage, food waste, recycling, composting, and yard waste; to identify residents’ priorities and concerns; and to measure overall support for the project.

“What we learn from this survey—including what people currently do with their organic waste and what their primary concerns are about an organics program—will help inform how we approach the project’s design and what collection model will work best for our community,” said Glen Farrow, the City’s Streets and Environmental Services Manager.

Data collected from the survey will also help City staff in selecting routes for the pilot program. A one-year pilot program is scheduled to launch in the fall and will test organic waste collection in up to five areas, which will represent a wide range of attitudes and habits.

While the survey is open to the whole community, Farrow notes that right now, the program development is focused on single- and multi-family homes that receive the City’s curbside collection service. “Apartments and multi-family complexes with shared collection will be addressed in future stages of the program,” he said.

The survey will be open until May 18. Paper copies of the survey can be requested by calling 250-828-3461. Survey respondents can enter to win one of three $100 gift certificates to local garden/landscaping stores.

Take the survey here.

Virtual Information Sessions
In addition to the survey, two virtual information sessions have been scheduled for Wednesday, April 14, 12:00–1:00 pm, and Thursday, April 29, 6:00–7:00 pm.

The hour-long sessions will feature a presentation from Marcia Dick, the City’s Solid Waste Services Analyst and the project lead, and the rest of the project team. The sessions will outline the project’s background, discuss concerns heard to date, and answer questions.

Registration is not required. The sessions will be hosted via Zoom, and links will be available the day before here on the Let’s Talk Organics web page. A recording of the information sessions will also be posted on the web page following the events.

February 5, 2021 - The City of Kamloops is seeking public input into the design of a residential curbside organic waste collection program.

In December 2020, Council authorized staff to move ahead with a three-phased approach to developing a residential organics collection program.

Phase 1—Public Consultation—is now underway with the launch of a Curbside Organic Waste Collection page on the City’s Let’s Talk engagement website. The page features educational information about what organic waste is, what could be included in a green bin, and why it makes sense for the City to introduce such a program.

Residents are encouraged to participate in a quick poll, read the FAQs, and ask questions about the program. A survey will be launched in spring to understand the priorities and concerns of residents and measure overall support of the project.

Feedback from the public will then help the City design an effective and efficient program, including determining how often garbage, recycling, and organic waste would be collected and bin sizes.

Residential curbside organic waste collection is estimated to reduce the community’s carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2,800 tonnes per year (equivalent to removing about 600 passenger vehicles) and save the City $1 million annually in costs related to landfill capacity.

It is also consistent with waste reduction goals outlined in the City’s Official Community Plan—KAMPLAN—and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s Solid Waste Management Plan, which aim to reduce waste to the landfill to 560 kg/person annually by 2023 (in 2019, the disposal rate was 750 kg/person annually). Data from garbage audits suggests an organics collection program would significantly support meeting the City’s waste reduction targets.

“Audits of residential garbage show that around 38% of our trash is organic material that can be composted,” said Marcia Dick, the City’s Solid Waste Services Analyst.

“A residential curbside organics collection program would allow residents to divert food and other organic waste from the garbage bin to an organics bin,” she added.

After the public consultation period, phase 2 is planned for fall 2021 and includes a pilot program in select neighbourhoods. The final phase would implement organics collection for all single-family and multi-family households on curbside collection routes. The timing of phases 2 and 3 are dependent on successful grant funding.

The City has applied for grant funding from CleanBC and the Green Municipal Fund which will potentially cover half of the projected $6.5 million cost of all three phases. Individual cost per household will be determined based on the outcomes of the first two project phases as well as any grant funding.

The City has also received community and stakeholder support on the proposed program from groups that have been advocating for organics collection in the city, including the Kamloops Food Policy Council, the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, and Thompson Rivers University.