Curbside Organic Waste Collection Pilot Program Set to Launch This Fall
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.
