The City of Kawartha Lakes is taking a sustainable step forward with its new organic waste program.
Starting January 4, the municipality will launch curbside collection for organic waste in Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay, and Omemee. The program will help align the municipality with provincial government targets to divert more waste from landfill sites.
According to a 2021 Auditor General report, Ontario is running out of landfill space. The province produces approximately 12 million tonnes of waste each year. At this trajectory, the report estimates that Ontario will run out of landfill space in the next eight to 11 years.
In response, the provincial government has set targets for itself, diverting 50 per cent of the province’s waste from landfill sites by 2030, and 80 per cent by 2050. It’s currently diverting about 30 per cent.
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One of the key ways of diverting waste from landfill sites is sorting out recyclable materials and organic waste. That’s why Kawartha Lakes is introducing curbside collection for organic waste. Rather than head to landfill sites, organic waste is typically brought to processing facilities where it’s broken down into compost and biogas. Previously, the municipality did not require residents to sort organic waste from their household waste.
As a result, organic waste makes up 30 per cent of Kawartha Lakes’ household waste, all of it headed to landfills. The municipality produces approximately 4,500 tonnes of organic waste per year, enough to fill 11 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The organic waste program is one of the first steps the municipality’s taking to extend the lifespan of its landfills. Kawartha Lakes has set its own target of diverting 70 per cent of waste from its landfills by 2048.
The new organic waste collection program only applies to those within the town limits of Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay, and Omemee. Regular waste and recycling collection will continue to occur on Tuesdays, with the new organic waste collection occurring on Fridays—except for the first collection (Jan. 4), which will occur on Saturday because of the New Year’s Day holiday. The municipality recommends having your bins at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day.
The municipality is currently distributing two organic waste bins to residents enrolled in the program. One of the bins will be a seven-litre kitchen catcher for countertop collection of organic waste. The second bin will be a 45-litre rollout cart for curbside collection. The bins are free of charge and are registered to the property, meaning if you move, the bins stay with the property. If residents need additional bins, they’ll have to purchase them through the municipality.
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All bins should be delivered by December 20. If you haven’t received them by then, you can contact the municipality’s customer service division at 705-324-9411.
For Kawartha Lakes property owners not included in the new curbside collection, you aren’t required to sort organic waste from your household waste, but the municipality strongly recommends introducing other organic waste diverting tactics, such as a backyard composter or a digester. Composters create ideal environments for bacteria and fungi to break down organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden. A digester, on the other hand, breaks down the organic waste through heat, leaching the nutrients back into the soil. Both methods continue to function throughout the winter, albeit at a slower pace.
Composters and digesters can be purchased through the municipality.
And for residents enrolled in the new curbside collection program, you can find out what belongs and doesn’t belong in the organic waste bin here.
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