Temporary closure of composting facility means green cart changes in Hamilton

A temporary change is coming to the way that Hamilton homeowners are asked to dispose of their leaf and yard waste.

Starting in April, and continuing until the Central Composting Facility has reopened and is once again fully operational, grass clippings and leaf and yard waste will not be allowed in the city’s green carts.

Instead, residents will be asked to put those materials in paper yard waste bags or open top reusable containers for disposal at Hamilton’s outdoor composting facility in Glanbrook.

The city will pay a third party, at an estimated cost of $500,000, to dispose of the remaining green bin materials, including food waste.

The cost of hiring the third party service provider will be covered by savings that result from not operating the Central Composting Facility (CCF) on Burlington Street.

The CCF is temporarily closed because of odour complaints and until the city can work with the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) to install bio-filters that are designed to solve the problem.

Green cart material has been sent to the Glanbrook landfill since the closure of the composting facility in June.

Director of Environmental Services Craig Murdoch says continuing to do so, rather than trucking it to a third party for proper disposal, would shorten the lifespan of the city’s landfill by four to six months.

The temporary changes were approved by Hamilton’s Public Works Committee on Monday, with only Ward 5 Coun. Chad Collins opposed to the plan.

Collins is concerned with sending the community “mixed messages.”

If negotiations with the MOE are successful, he adds that the Central Composting Facility could be almost fully-operational again within six to eight months.