Council looks at waste diversion

Feb 15, 2023 | 3:31 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Prince George has had a blue box reculing program for years. But a discussion about the scheduling came about during City budget discussions. Currently, garbage is collected once a week, while recycling is done every second week.

“I think it’s trying to look at the whole picture and see what can be done, what can be done to divert more way, less waste to the landfills and into other areas where it’s better for our environment, better for recycling and potential revenue generators. I mean, you can sell waste cardboard in different ways and generate some revenue off of it as well,” says Councillor Kyle Sampson. “So there’s opportunity there that needs to be considered. But first and foremost, I think it’s just waste, diversion and trying to find ways that we can reduce our impacts and expand the longevity of our landfill.”

Another point that was discussed was the fact very little compostable waste is diverted. People are putting things like yard waste in their garbage cans. That, too, could be looking at by the Regional District of Fraser Fort George, which runs the landfill.

“So we’re still seeing a lot of organic materials go into the garbage that can’t be composted at the regional district because you need a digester,” noted Councillor Cori Ramsay during the budget talks. “It needs to go through an anaerobic process in order to, you know, to meet the legislative requirements of composting in the province. But we have digesters at the solid waste plant. So I think there’s an opportunity to really look at that.”

Sampson says other jurisdictions are thinking outside the box to divert waste winding up in the landfill.

“Edmonton’s a great example. They do compost recycling and garbage and they do them on different schedules. In the summer months, they pick up the compost and garbage more frequently, and then in the winter months, they expand that out. But they have a program where they don’t use the big bins. You get a certain amount of bags on your curb that they’ll pick up. And if you want more, you just buy little tags and you pay a little bit extra.”

But unlike many other jurisdictions, Prince George is home to a lot of bears.

The City recently pilotted new bear-proof garbage cans in the Hart, but found they were too much of a hassle and not cost-efficient. The attractants presented with less frequent garbage collection and compost pose a challenge.

“Animals are a potential problem in Prince George, and so are we finding a can. I know we’ve done some research. We’re still continuing that research that is more bear-proof or are we looking at, you know, strict more strict enforcement of don’t put your hand out early.”

The City budgets $2.3 million per year on solid waste services.

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