City councillors look to keep food waste out of your garbage

City councillors are revisiting a conversation onways to divert organic waste from the landfillafter the province introduced a waste-related framework last year.

• Ontario wants to ban food waste from trash bags in five years

The Food and Organic Waste Framework aims to cut down onthe amount of food waste found in the trash, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emission for a "waste free Ontario."

Councillorsin London are being met with two possible options to meet a city-proposed 60 per cent waste diversion target by 2022: a green bin program and a mixed waste composting initiative.

Jay Stanford, director of environment fleet and solid waste for the city,says the city should have a plan in place in the next few years.

Food and organic waste madeup about a third of Ontario's total waste in 2014, according to the province.

'Waste-free Ontario'

The green bin program whichcity councillors have discussed in the past along with the introduction of a pilot project would see a separate collection at the curb put in place. It would cost the city about 3.5 million each year, with an additional one-time equipment cost of $12 million.

A mixed waste composting initiative would cost about $7 million.

Stanford said although thecost is almost double that ofthe green bin program, the environmental impact would be much greater.

"It has substantially better environmental benefits in how much greenhouse gas is reduced as well as higher diversion -anywhere from 4 to 5 diversion points higher than a green bin system."

"The organic fraction like food scraps, potato peelings, any meats andfish that are being tossed out are left in the garbage bag, that material is then picked up as garbage normally is, and brought to a processing facility that would then extract the organic fraction of the garbage bag," said Stanford, who saysthe waste would turn into energy.

Councillors will only hear delegationslooking into the options along with the provincial framework standards.

No decision will be made as staff continues to consult with the public.