The Township of Esquimalt will be participating in the Regional Kitchen Scraps Strategy as part of a region-wide initiative to reduce the volume of kitchen scraps going to the Hartland Landfill.
At a Council meeting on Monday February 18, Council voted to endorse staff recommendations that the Township participate in the Strategy, and enter into negotiations with the City of Victoria to use its transfer station for kitchen scraps and garbage streams. Council also voted to revise the Township’s existing Garbage Disposal Bylaw to change garbage pickup from backyard to curbside.
“Waste management is an operational priority issue for Council,” said Mayor Desjardins. “It makes environmental sense to reuse materials whenever possible and we will actually reduce our garbage collection budget by participating in the strategy.”
The Capital Regional District (CRD) estimates that 30 per cent of the waste sent to the Hartland Landfill is organic material. This material can be separated and converted into compost or fertilizer, supporting waste reduction and a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Using the CRD’s current estimate of organic waste in the landfill, the Township would be diverting approximately 510 tonnes of waste material per year from the landfill. Kitchen scraps will be banned from the Hartland landfill by January 1, 2015.
An open house will be scheduled in 2013 to provide residents with opportunities to discuss changes to garbage collection, including input on exemptions to curbside pickup for those with mobility challenges. Over the coming weeks, updates on garbage and kitchen scraps collection will be published to the Township’s website and community newsletter.
For more information on the CRD’s Kitchen Scraps Diversion Strategy, visit www.myrecyclopedia.ca or download the CRD brochure here.
For more information, please contact:
Jeff Miller, Director of Engineering and Public Works
Tel: 250-414-7108