Green bin program gets green light from London’s civic works committee

London’s civic works committee endorsed the city’s plan to reduce waste by 60 per cent Tuesday, giving a green light to one of its major components: a green bin program.

It would cost Londoners, depending on the household, $36 a year for a green bin. But Coun. Paul Hubert said the conversation about it has spanned several years, and Londoners have always been willing to pay for it.

“What’s interesting is the reliability of Londoners’ desire to recycle is there, and the willingness to actually pay for it,” he said.

“I could take this report, and go back to 2009 and go back to 2011, and the numbers haven’t changed in terms of the public engagement. Frankly, the costs have gone down.”

A city report says London produces more than a tonne of waste per year, per person. That includes household waste, but also what is created through the industrial and commercial sectors. About 45 per cent of household waste and about a third of all waste is being diverted from London’s landfill, which is a few years away from reaching capacity.

“I hear from residents that move into Ward 9 from other municipalities, how … we could be doing a better job when it comes to disposing of our waste,” said Coun. Anna Hopkins, who said green bins are long overdue. Most other large municipalities in Ontario have already implemented green bin programs.

But Coun. Phil Squire cautioned colleagues against patting themselves on the back, noting that green bins only work if people are willing to use them.

“We’re not saving the planet yet,” he said.

“We’re setting in place a number of steps that we think will get us to 60 per cent.”

Squire also noted that the 60 per cent target comes from the province and that London has the opportunity to go above and beyond.

“Green bins by themselves will not solve the problem.”

London’s action plan, named the 60% Waste Diversion Action Plan, outlines a list of other ways the city plans to achieve its 2022 target. That includes reducing the number of containers residents can put to the curb when the green bin program is running, implementing a food waste strategy, and lowering the number of recyclables that end up in garbage bins.

The city’s landfill site has approved capacity until 2025. London has started an expansion project, but it isn’t expected to get approval unless the city has a plan to reach 60 per cent waste diversion. Exporting waste to a private location in Ontario could cost the city up to $7 million a year.