Earth Day is the perfect time to recognize the community’s role in diverting waste from the City of Lethbridge’s landfill.
The City’s curbside organics program wraps up its third year.
According to General Manager of Waste & Environment Mandi Parker, the City would like to thank residents for keeping up their curbside enthusiasm and incorporating it into their daily routines.
In its third year, Waste & Environment staff saw a 10.23 per cent increase in collected residential material through the curbside organics program.
“Curbside organics gained a ton of momentum this past year,” added Collections Manager James Nicholls.
“Our program continues to see growth in year-over-year tonnage, which is a direct result of residents doing their part and using their household green carts for food and yard waste.”
Other positive stats from the City include:
- Approximately 20 million kilograms of organic waste have been diverted from the landfill since the program’s start, which is an average of 585 kilograms per single-unit household.
- More than 62,500 kilograms of free compost have been given away to residents at local events.
- Roughly 42,000 kilograms of compost have been used in City parks, gardens, cemeteries, and greenspaces.
Officials said the “promising numbers” contribute toward meeting the City’s waste diversion target, set by city council, which aims to divert 50 per cent of waste generated in Lethbridge by 2030.
“We’re extremely pleased with our community’s adoption of the program and excited to keep it trending upward,” noted Nicholls. “Our focus this year is making sure food scraps don’t go in the garbage. Things like banana peels, chicken bones and moldy bread are ideal green cart candidates and can be processed into nutrient-rich compost.”
GREEN CART COLLECTION
Green carts will be collected every week starting the week of May 4.
“Collecting weekly during the warmer seasons helps residents divert more yard waste, as people do more gardening and yard work,” said Nicholls. “It also helps reduce the odour or ‘yuck’ factor that sometimes comes along with organic waste.”
Residents can download the free Lethbridge Loop app to get reminders about their curbside cart collection days.
BATTERY COLLECTION
In partnership with Call2Recycle Canada, the Curbside Battery Collection Program is set to make its return this winter.
“We’re grateful for everyone who stepped up and participated in last year’s pilot program,” Nicholls explained. “Residents helped divert more than 3,000 kilograms of batteries from our landfill, which is a huge win for our community and the environment.”
READ MORE: Curbside battery pilot in Lethbridge diverts tonnes of waste from landfill
More information on this year’s program and how to participate is on the City of Lethbridge website.
