Organic Waste Collection
Pilot Project in Manor Park
By Carolyn Brereton
(from the Manor Park Chronicle of January 2002)
Manor Park, as its residents already know, is part of the city of Ottawa's new residential organic waste diversion pilot project involving about 5300 households in 9 different neighbourhoods.
Over the first 12 months of the pilot, different container types and collection frequencies will be tested. Containers and/or paper bags were distributed to all households in the selected areas in October. Once the preferred system has been identified, steps will be taken to move all areas into the same program for longer-term assessment. The organic waste diversion pilot will then continue until the end of the current waste collection contract, which is May 31, 2004.
Residents are being asked to separate organic waste from garbage and then to put it out separately according to the new schedule.
Schedule in Manor Park
Manor Park has an alternating week schedule for garbage and organic waste as in organics out on blue box week and garbage out with the black box. Regardless, Christmas tree collection is planned for the week of January 7 (which may confuse some as it's not an organics week). (NB. All tinsel and ornaments must be removed and no plastic bagged trees will be picked up. These things don't compost!)
What goes in the Cart?
Organic waste targeted for diversion includes vegetable and fruit waste, meat and fish scraps, dairy and grain products, meal leftovers, cold fireplace ash and clay-based kitty litter (all pet feces should actually be flushed down the toilet).
In addition to all food waste, non-recyclable paper can go in as well, including paper napkins, paper tablecloth, paper towels, paper plates and tissue. Waxed paper like the kind often used for meat can be used to wrap food waste as well.
Pizza boxes should go in the Black box if they're clean, or in the cart if they have food or grease on them. Beverage cartons cannot go in the cart - they should go in the blue box.
This information is now up on the City's web site. Go to www.city.ottawa.on.ca/gc/organics/org_1_en.shtml.
Kraft Paper Bags
Not mentioned on the site or in the User Guide are the kraft paper bags that are being used extensively in New Edinburgh. Manor Parkites are welcome to use them as well - the closest source is the manor Park Grocery (Nick's) on St. Laurent and also Jolicoeur Home Hardware. (See advert on this page for other area stores selling the bags).
The manufacturer of the bags, Prescott Paper is working on another model that will be able to line the small green kitchen pail (lunch bag sized).
Using the bags or wrapping in paper at this time of year is important to prevent food waste from freezing inside the container. Sometimes, the truck cannot get all the refuse out. Wrapping in paper (or covering the food waste with yard waste, spring-summer-fall) will also help smother odours that will attract animals.
Pest Deterrents
If the raccoon is smart and strong enough to knock the cart over, it will make a mess (as with any garbage). For added protection, use a bungee cord across the top of the lid hooking each end under the cart lip. Squirrels are proving to be even worse of a problem having chewed two cart lids thus far. Fortunately, the lids can be replaced but that is a nuisance. In such circumstances, keeping the cart in the garage or some other enclosure may be the only way to defeat them.
Assessment
Residents of Manor Park are still getting used to the new system. On the first day (Nov. 19), 33% of houses put their carts out. Two weeks later, the set rate was 67% for the carts (although 31% of homes also had their garbage out). 6.7 tonnes of organic waste was collected that day, although this included yard waste. Two weeks after that when there was no longer any yard waste, only 3.24 tonnes was collected.
But it's early days yet and participation should improve as people become more familiar with the system.
The first newsletter and questionnaire from the City will be out in January. Rob Sinclair, Project Coordinator, assures us that they're looking for feedback, both positive and negative. So do call! The hot line number is 580-2409.
City Launches Organic Waste Diversion Pilot
by Carolyn Brereton
(New Edinburgh News of December 2001)
The residents of Ottawa currently divert about 31% of all solid waste generated versus the provincial average of 27%. Recovered materials include nearly 60,000 tonnes of blue and black box recyclables and over 25,000 tonnes of leaf and yard waste. However, provincial and federal diversion targets of 50% suggest that we could do better and, indeed, communities such as Halifax and Edmonton have shown that this is possible.
On October 15, 2001 the City of Ottawa launched a residential organic waste diversion pilot project involving about 5300 households in 9 different neighbourhoods, including New Edinburgh. Over the first 12 months of the pilot, different container types and collection frequencies will be tested. Containers and/or paper bags were distributed to all households in the selected areas in October. Once the preferred system has been identified, steps will be taken to move all areas into the same program for longer-term assessment. The organic waste diversion pilot will then continue until the end of the current waste collection contract, which is May 31, 2004.
Paper Bags in the Burg
The pilot area in New Edinburgh, bounded by Mackay, Vaughan, Crichton, Stanley and Thomas, contains about 600 households. These lucky residents have received both a container and small supply of paper bags, which hold up to 30 lbs of wet organic waste. The paper bag is unique to New Edinburgh. City officials are tracking set-out and so far response to the bags seems to be quite favourable: 18 out of 20 containers put out contained the paper bags (using the bag helps keep the container clean).
Like the leaf and yard waste bags with which we are all familiar these bags are designed to stand without support for ease of filling and are stronger than plastic so there is no need for double bagging. Bag to Earth , who produce the bags currently being used in the pilot claims they are not likely to rip or tear in use, and being made of breathable paper the chance of odours is virtually eliminated. Additional bags can be purchased at Jolicoeur Home Hardware.
Rob Sinclair, Project Coordinator at the city of Ottawa reports that people have expressed an interest in a smaller bag, more like a brown sandwich bag which could be filled quickly and then tossed in the container. Prescott are working on producing a smaller version.
Types of Waste
Residents are being asked to separate organic waste from garbage and then to put it out separately according to the new schedule. Since leaf and yard waste is already diverted, the remaining organic waste is primarily food waste, which is estimated to be 30-50% of typical garbage output. A number of different collection scenarios are being tested including alternate week collection (garbage one week, organic waste the next week); weekly organic waste collection and bi-weekly garbage collection; and bi-weekly organic and weekly garbage, New Edinburgh falling in the last category.
Organic waste targeted for diversion includes vegetable and fruit waste, meat and fish scraps, dairy and grain products, meal leftovers, cold fireplace ash and clay-based kitty litter (all pet feces should actually be flushed down the toilet). Non-recyclable paper such as tissues, paper towels, soiled pizza boxes, flour and potato paper bags can also be diverted into this stream of material. In fact, wrapping food waste in paper is an excellent way of addressing odour concerns. All yard waste from your garden can be added to the mix including leaves, grass, hedge trimmings, twigs, brush, plants, wood chips and sawdust.
Assessment Criteria
There are a number of important criteria to consider when assessing the pilot such as public acceptability, cost-effectiveness, technical reliability, ease of implementation and waste diversion performance. City staff will conduct opinion and set out surveys as well as waste audits to assess these variables. Observations or ideas from residents will be welcomed at the hot line number.
All materials from the pilot are being sent to a licensed facility to be processed and composted. The level of contamination in the compost will be assessed to see if further information should be provided to residents to eliminate the problem (likely to be misplaced plastics). The processor will retain the final compost product for resale but the City plans to distribute bags of compost at random during the course of the pilot as a means of raising awareness and maintaining interest in the program.
Performance to date
The participation rate in the Burg is low; the average set out rate over the last month was 121 containers (out of a possible 636). This is partly explained by the bi-weekly organic waste, weekly garbage cycle in New Edinburgh - it's easier to throw it out each week. But participation should improve as people become more familiar with the system.
For more information, contact Rob Sinclair, Project Coordinator, (613) 580-2424 ext. 22643
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