Lethbridge collects nearly 4,000 tonnes of organic waste in first 6 months of green carts

Half a year into the Curbside Organics Program, the City of Lethbridge estimates nearly 4,000 tonnes of organic waste has been diverted from the landfill.

That averages out to about 264 pounds per household.

James Nicholls, waste and environment collections manager, says it’s a promising number that shows just how many people are participating in the program.

“We know this is a big change, we know this is a major shift for people in their day-to-day habits but people have shown they are willing to do it and they’re happy to do it.”

He added that the Organics Processing Facility has already sold the 4,000 tonnes of material, indicating there’s a huge demand for the items that are being composted.

1:52 Lethbridge curbside organics collection expanding city-wide in May

Kathleen Sheppard, executive director of Environment Lethbridge, says the rollout of bins has been an extremely convenient way for homeowners to handle organic waste.

“I think a lot of people didn’t realize the breadth of things that can go into your green cart,” Sheppard said. “It really is everything from that pizza box that’s still got some cheese on it through to your grass clippings and food waste and things like that. So, I think a lot of people were pleasantly taken by surprise on how much they really do use their green bins.”

So far, Lethbridge has seen 85 per cent of eligible residents participate in the curbside organics program.

The city hopes it can grow that statistic with education and outreach as it focuses on the long term.

“We’re looking at 2030 goals,” Nicholls said. “We have waste diversion targets where half of all the material that’s going into the cart, half of that’s been removed and it’s going into either recycling or organics so we’re really aiming long-term.”

Nicholls said that year over year the city has seen almost a 20 per cent reduction in the amount of waste going to the landfill.

With winter just around the corner, green carts will make the move to biweekly collection starting Nov. 7.

Green cart rollout has also started for smaller residential apartments and condos, with Nicholls indicating bigger residential complexes will begin seeing bins next spring, with completion anticipated by 2025.