BioCycle January 2010, Vol. 51
Ottawa, Ontario:CITYWIDE FOOD WASTE COLLECTION IN CANADA’S CAPITAL
Ottawa launched a citywide green bin program for residential food waste in early January, following several successful pilot projects. Collection is biweekly in the winter months, and weekly from spring through fall. Garbage is collected weekly, and recyclables biweekly. The organics are currently taken to composting facilities in Kingston and Moose Creek, but starting in late January, they will be processed at the Orgaworld facility in Gloucester. Orgaworld signed a 20-year contract with the city, and will have the capacity to take 80,000 metric tons per year.
The program is being offered to 220,000 single-family residences, and 30,000 low-rise multifamily units. The city plans to extend service to high-rises in 2011 (100,000 residences), and rural properties in 2012 (7,000). All food wastes are permitted, including meat, dairy and food-soiled paper. The program does not, however, allow use of compostable bags. Instead residents are encouraged to line their kitchen pails with newspaper for cleanliness. The city is using Norseman’s GreenBin+ 21-gallon curbside bins, which allow for automated collection.
Tallahassee, Florida
STATEWIDE RECYCLING GOAL SET AT 75 PERCENT BY 2020
Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed into law the Energy, Climate Change, and Economic Security Act of 2008 (House Bill 7135), which establishes a new statewide recycling goal of 75 percent by 2020. The statute also directs the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a program designed to achieve this goal. The report provides an overview of the state’s solid waste generation and recycling, and outlines some recommended actions. The information is based on extensive research, contributions from stakeholders at four public workshops and discussions on DEP’s web forum.
Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in Florida is over 32 million tons/year, resulting from 18 million residents and 80 million visitors. More than 20 years after the state’s first recycling goal of 30 percent, only 28 percent of MSW is recycled. Specific areas for increasing this percentage through low cost but high recycling value include construction and demolition (C&D) materials, which constitutes 25 percent of MSW, and organics (food waste, yard trimmings and paper), which represent 40 percent of MSW. The report points out that Publix Supermarkets are already recycling food waste.
Other recommendations include increasing markets for recycled products through public education, advertising, financial incentives (and disincentives) and carefully targeted regulation. New revenue sources include Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT), Zero Waste Zones, single stream recycling, or programs that offer rewards for recycling, such as RecycleBank. The report also calls on state offices and universities to lead by example.