The City of Victoria’s kitchen scraps program has already diverted nearly 400 tonnes of waste from the Hartland landfill and turned it into compost.
That diversion rate is 37 per cent, seven per cent better than the rate predicted by city staff in February.
The early success of the program is being partially attributed to the city’s online reminder service, which sends a text, automated phone message or email on the day before garbage pickup, said city spokesperson Katie Josephson.
“The online collection day reminder tool and app are now being utilized by over 3,300 households,” she said.
About 6.5 tonnes of kitchen scraps are being collected and composted from 14,000 Victoria households every day. The city is also selling compostable waste bags made of cornstarch for $10 a roll. Plastic and biodegradable bags are not accepted in kitchen scraps bins. The bags are available for purchase at City Hall and the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre.
For more information, visit victoria.ca and search “kitchen scraps.”
dpalmer@vicnews.com