City of Regina looks at composting, organic pickups to lessen landfill load

As part of the goal to divert waste from the landfill, the City of Regina will be looking at rolling out an organic waste program over the next four years.

Lisa Legault, director for Regina's Solid Waste, said the city's goal has been to divert 65 per cent of household waste from the landfill. The city began its blue bin recycling in 2015, but is still stuck at the 20 per cent mark in its diversion goal.

"After five years, it's time to sort of move to the next step," Legault told reporters on Friday afternoon.

The department is recommending a new program that would explore options like providing a green bin to residents, to collect food and yard waste. These organic goods can be used to make nutrient-rich compost and energy, and make up 50 per cent of waste currently going to the landfill, she said.

With a weekly organics pick-up, she said she anticipated residents could cutback on their garbage, and Regina couldmove to a permanent bi-weekly pickup schedule for garbage collection.

The city is estimating the organics program would require a $3.5 million initial capital investment, and would cost$7.9 million annually to run. However, Legault said it isestimated that an organics program could also save the city $4.6 million in garbage collection costs.

For an average homeowner with a $350,000 house, the increase in property tax to run the program could be held to about $36 a year, said Legault.

The city would also have to explore options on what to do with the organic waste, including looking at indoor composting or using technology to convert the waste into energy.

The recommendation for organic waste collection will come before the city's Public Works and Infrastructure committee on Thursday.

If the plan is approved by Regina city council, Legault said a pilot project could roll out in 2020, followed by a city-wide implementation of the program in 2022.