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Kamloops could see a community-wide organic waste curbside pickup program by as early as 2023, should council decide to move forward with planning the next stages of the process.

City staff are recommending that council continues plans for organic waste curbside pickup in the city, and gives the green light to conduct grant funding research to offset the cost of the $5.7 million project.

Currently, the organic waste project is in the planning stages and staff are recommending a phased approach to the project which includes information gathering, testing, and implementation, according to a report which will be presented to council, Nov. 24.

Phase one includes public consultation and garbage collection route audits. The second phase would act as a test for the project and the final phase would be community-wide implementation. The city is currently in phase one.

If approved, the information gathering from the first phase could be completed by June 2021, with testing in the second phase completed by August 2022 and the final stage of community-wide implementation could be seen in July 2023, according to the report.

Organic waste collection programs can include a wide array of household waste. The following items are what staff recommend be included in the collection program: fruits and vegetables, grains, breads, and pasta, meats, fish, and poultry, including shells and bones, coffee grounds and tea bags, soups and sauces, solid and semi-solid dairy, soiled paper, waxed paper and boxes, small amounts of garden waste, fruit and yard waste.

The estimated cost for all three phases of the proposed program is $5.7 million, with most of the costs for city-wide organic collection occurring in the final stage. The approximate cost of the program includes capital expenditures of $3.6 million, ongoing program costs of $1.7 million, and $0.4 million for staff time and public engagement, according to the report.

“In 2019, the City’s waste per capita was 720 kilograms. Organic waste is plant and animal matter that can be diverted for beneficial reuse such as composting. An estimated 38 per cent of household waste is organic. An organic waste collection program is an opportunity to reduce the amount of waste being sent to the landfill,” according to the report.

Council could also decide to delay the launch of the program until 2022, or decide to allow the private sector to collect food waste from residents.

An organics waste business is currently operating in the city using a subscriber based system. The City of Salmon Arm also has a food waste and yard waste pickup program in place.

READ MORE: Friendly Composting will pick up your organic waste in Kamloops, and you can't beet that

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