RDKB Going Greener and Taking on Trash in Rossland, Warfield, Trail and Fruitvale
By RDKB
As part of the Regional District’s commitment to Zero Waste Goals and efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, a new waste reduction program will be launched targeting the diversion of food waste and kitchen scraps in the McKelvey Creek Wasteshed.
To facilitate the green bin program, agreements have been reached with Trail, Rossland, Warfield and Fruitvale to allow for the transition of garbage collection services to the Regional District. This will allow for the dual collection of garbage and food waste at the same time using split packer trucks. These trucks have separate collection compartments for each waste type, so that one does not contaminate the other. Currently, up to 38% of landfill waste is compostable organics.
“We are excited to move closer to the launch of this program, which will enable us to become a carbon-neutral local government,” said RDKB Board Chair Linda Worley. “We expect to see an annual average reduction of green house gas emissions of 2,225 tC02e resulting from the diversion of 877 to 1,451 metric tonnes of food waste. This equates to 495 cars driven for one year.”
Worley adds that the initiative will also extend the life of the McKelvey Creek landfill, which is important given the challenges of establishing new sites.
The food waste will be composted at the RDCK facility near Salmo to create a Class A soil product.
Starting October 1, 2023, residential curbside collection in the McKelvey Creek Wasteshed will be as follows:
- For the communities of Rossland, Warfield, Trail, Fruitvale and Electoral Areas A and B, weekly collection of garbage and green bin (food waste) will occur. Residents must use RDKB garbage tags only for the garbage component.
- Garbage tags may be purchased from local businesses and local government offices in the area at a cost of $3.00 each. This $3 fee will allow for the pick-up of garbage to a maximum of 50 lbs.
- For the community of Montrose, weekly collection of green bin (food waste) will be provided by the RDKB. Garbage collection services will be maintained by the Village of Montrose.
The RDKB has awarded the contract to GFL Environmental Inc who will provide the residential curbside collection of garbage and green bin food waste.
Green bins, along with educational materials and a kitchen tote, will be delivered to residents in August. 80L sized bins that are considered “critter resistant” (racoons, skunks, rats, etc.) will be the standard bin size distributed. The RDKB has purchased a limited number of “bear resistant” bins that will be available under a trade-in program. Residents will be required to exchange the standard bin and pay the difference in cost to receive the bear resistant bin.
The food waste collected by the program will be “beyond backyard composting” and will include such items as meat, bones, grease, and other food waste that should not be included in a backyard composter. No plastics of any kinds will be accepted in the green bins, including bin liners that claim to be biodegradable or compostable. Only kraft paper bags or the “Bag to Earth” bin liners will be accepted in the program.
The RDKB is grateful for the approximately $700,000 in grant funding from the Province of BC that will assist with the implementation of the project, including public education, collection bin supply and distribution.
Stay tuned for more information or sign up for the RDKB’s “Join the Conversation” page at https://jointheconversation.rdkb.com/
If you are a resident of Trail, Warfield, Rossland or Fruitvale, please note that additional information will be coming from your respective municipal offices over the coming months.
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