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May 14,2008 - Coquitlam Now
DJ Lam, Coquitlam NOW
Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Starting this summer, Port Coquitlam will provide pickup of kitchen waste, in addition to its regular garbage and green waste collection service. The kitchen waste, which includes uncooked vegetables and fruits, peelings, cut flowers, coffee filters and tea bags, will be added to the current green bin pickups from July 14 onward. The move also means all green waste will now be collected throughout the year. "Overall, it's the right thing to do," Coun. Mike Forrest said at Monday's meeting. The city approved the May 6 recommendation from a report by the city's director of engineering and operations, Igor Zahynacz, after testing the program in the southside Harbourview neighbourhood in February.
According to Zahynacz's report, "A curbside collection program, that mixed kitchen waste with green waste, would provide a viable alternative for those unable to backyard compost and currently use their garbage cart." "It should not be looked at as a substitute for [composting], but should be complementary to it," Coun. Michael Wright said. The report notes, however, that -- on a good weather pickup day -- 12.5 per cent of the test neighbourhood's 200 homes used the service during the February trial. According to city estimates, the addition of kitchen waste to the green stream will cost an additional $5,000 for 2008 and $23,000 in fiscal 2009. The program will not cover townhouses and apartments, Wright said, and added that he wants the program extended to high-density developments in the future. As an addendum to the program, PoCo also plans to spend $25,000 to execute one-time "well-defined communications plans" to track the program's success. Such plans include monitoring media coverage of the kitchen waste collection program. The city will continue to use Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre Ltd. for all of its green waste processing. © Coquitlam Now 2008 |