Organic Composting in YEG
The City of Edmonton has a 25-year waste strategy. The strategy calls for all residential properties in Edmonton to have three-stream sorting by 2027 (garbage, recycling, and organics). This is an important step in waste reduction to avoid harmful greenhouse gasses like methane. Currently, 18% of emissions in Canada are from waste. This process also creates products like compost that can be reused.
The good news is that we are diverting more waste from landfills each year - from 17% diversion in 2020 to 41% in 2023!
By 2027, the city anticipates processing 121,000 tonnes of organic waste annually. Currently organic waste is processed with Edmonton Waste Management at the High Solids Anaerobic Digestion Facility (HSADF) and through third-party processors. A report to the Utility Committee highlighted that this facility would need more capital improvements to meet demand. The report also showed that continuing with the current model will cost almost 262 million over 20 years. City Administration recommended to the committee an option to adjust the program, save 29% in costs over that time, and in turn work to keep utility rates stable.
The shift means changing to lower-cost composting facilities, including building an outdoor composting facility on city land, lower transportation costs, collecting revenue from compost, and single-source contract for processing more contaminated organic waste as this requires specialized facilities.
Do you currently live in a condo or an apartment? Learn more about the three-stream roll out and when it will be coming to your area here.
What do you think of these changes or the City’s Waste Strategy?
