THE District of North Vancouver is contemplating putting the lockdown on food waste.
District staff have put forward a proposal to outfit each residence with a locking cart equipped to handle either 140 or 240 litres of organic and food waste.
The district could pay for the bear-resistant wheeled bins by boosting the solid waste rate over the next decade, according to a report penned by district engineering operations manager Len Jensen.
The new cans would mean the district would no longer pick up organic waste left on the curb in bags, bundles, or 77-litre containers. The locking containers are meant to discourage wildlife, according to Jensen.
"Unsecured garbage and organics continue to be the main source of bears roaming through the neighbourhoods," he stated.
The cans would help the district divert more garbage away from the landfill, ultimately lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
The district's diversion rate is 56.5 per cent, substantially below their goal of 65 per cent.
Approximately 42 per cent of garbage left on the curb is organic.
The program may save the district money over the long haul, according to Jensen.
Disposing of one ton of garbage costs $36 more than getting rid of one ton of organics. That disparity may triple over the next decade, according to Jensen.
The 240-litre carts would cost about $120 each, adding up to a $2.5 million bill for the district.
The net annual cost of supplying and maintaining the locking carts is $16.50 per home.
Residents could be given the option to pay for the carts in one year, thus avoiding financing costs, wrote Jensen.
The introduction of the green can may remind residents to scrape their plates into a can rather than the garbage, wrote Jensen. He noted West Vancouver's green can campaign was the catalyst for a 16 per cent shift between the garbage pail and the green can.
The carts would be mechanically tipped as opposed to lifted, so would also improve employee safety.
If approved by council, the cans would be delivered in approximately eight months.
Another way to hike the diversion rate may be by picking up garbage half as often.
When combined with other programs, switching to biweekly trash pickup could push the diversion rate to nearly 70 per cent, according to Jensen.
The issue is currently under review, with staff slated to offer their opinions on biweekly trash pickup this fall.
Mayor Richard Walton discussed the need to balance environmental concerns with the tax burden placed on homeowners at a committee of the whole meeting June 17.
"Getting to 70 (per cent garbage diversion) and getting to 80 is a very laudable goal for the region, but there's a significant dollar cost," he said.
Any conversation about reducing the burden on landfills should include waste management companies, according to Coun. Alan Nixon.
"The less that they can send to landfill, the higher their profits," he said.
Including waste management companies may be more efficient than revising bylaws, said Nixon, who cited a strained history between the companies and Metro Vancouver.
"It seems to me that there's always been an adversarial relationship, certainly there was from the time when I was involved in the solid waste committee, between waste haulers and Metro Vancouver," he said.
"I think we've missed an opportunity, quite frankly, to bring those people into dialogue."
