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(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

KELOWNA - While most of us may not spend much time thinking about where our garbage goes, it may give you some peace of mind knowing there are a group of community members who’ve been volunteering their time to do just that. And now they want to hear from you.

As part of updating the Central Okanagan’s Solid Waste Management Plan, a Public Advisory Committee has for the past five months been weighing in on options for managing waste from residents, institutions, businesses, and the construction sector. The PTAC will now bring their short list of key initiatives to the general community for feedback through a series of community meetings.”

“This is your chance to ‘Talk Trash’ if you will, and weigh in on the process. This October we are hosting community meetings where people can learn about the options and provide input on what options they prefer,” says Cynthia Coates, Waste Reduction Facilitator with the Regional District. “It’s important to hear from residents, to ensure we aren’t missing anything and that we’re on the right track with a plan that can help manage and reduce our waste over the next 5-10 years. Topics up for discussion will include but not be limited to: More recycling, food waste, a review of our curbside services, recycling depots and transfer stations, and construction and business waste.”

Let’s Talk Trash Meeting Dates, all meeting times 4 p.m. until 8 p.m: 

North Westside – Killiney Community Hall,   Monday, October 17
West Kelowna – Lions Hall, Tuesday, October 18
Peachland – Community Centre Wednesday, October 19
Lake Country – Community Complex/George Elliott Secondary School, Monday, October 24
Joe Rich – Joe Rich Community Hall, Tuesday, October 25
Kelowna – Coast Capri Hotel, Wednesday, October 26
Ellison- Ellison heritage School Community Hall, Tuesday November 2nd

Coates adds, “We’ve certainly made great strides in reducing our residential waste through our curbside recycling and yard waste programs and have seen great improvement by businesses to divert and recycle more waste as well. The plan being developed will look at ways we can continue to improve on diverting waste from the landfill from all sectors.”

If you can’t make it out to an Open House, Coates encourages you to review all of the information and proposed initiatives online instead, with a chance to win one of five $50 dollar gift certificates just for offering your input in a short online survey. The survey is posted at regionalidistrict.com/garbagefuture.

“It’s been an interesting learning experience,” comments committee member, Derek Mahoney of UBC Okanagan. “One major take away was discovering that we are already in great shape compared to many other areas when it comes to waste management in the Central Okanagan. We are building upon an already effective and sustainable program.”  

The Solid Waste Management Plan is a regional plan, representing the City of Kelowna, City of West Kelowna, Districts of Peachland and Lake Country and the Regional District of Central Okanagan. Under provincial regulations, the RDCO is required to have a Solid Waste Management Plan and to update it regularly. The last update to the plan was in 2005.

For more information, including copies of the presentations and meeting notes, you are encouraged to visit the RDCO website under the Waste Reduction Office section.

News from © iNFOnews, 2016