Durham Region’s Green Bin Program

Peter Watson, P.Eng.Manager of Waste Management, Region of Durham

Our Community

• 580,000 residents

• Just East of Toronto

Durham Region Works Department

Region of Durham

A Phased in Approach

Phase 1 (Green Area)• 130,000 residents• 45,000 households

Phase 2 (White Area)• 450,000 residents• 135,000 households

LAKE SIMCOE

LAKE ONTARIO Durham Region Works Department

Green Bin Program Goals

Goals• Introduce Region-wide

kitchen food waste composting

• Divert food waste from landfill

Durham Region Works Department

Impact on Residents

• Separate kitchen food waste from garbage

• Use biodegradable liner bags in the Green Bin

• Maintained weekly collection of food waste

• Biweekly garbage collection

Durham Region Works Department

Challenges

• Get the message out to residents

• Deliver the Green Bin kits

• Make it happen

Durham Region Works Department

Green Bin Kits

• The Green Bin kits included the following items:– curbside Green Bin– kitchen Green Bin– package of 100 per cent biodegradable

kitchen liner bags– information magnet– promotional CD– waste survey– residential waste collection calendar– garbage bag tags

Durham Region Works Department

Green Bin Composting

Durham Region Works Department

46.5 L

7.5 L

35 L

10 L

Kitchen Food Waste

• Fruits & vegetables• Cereals• Meat & bones• Plate scrapings• Bread & baking• Dairy products

Durham Region Works Department

Paper Fibres

• Coffee filters• Tea bags• Paper egg cartons• Fast food drink trays• Soiled paper towels

Durham Region Works Department

What is NOT Included

• Diapers• Sanitary products• Kitty litter• Animal wastes• Food packaging

materials• Plastic bags

Durham Region Works Department

Biodegradable Liner Bags

• Residents to use 100 per cent biodegradable kitchen liner bags

• No plastic bags

Durham Region Works Department

Informing Residents

• Newspaper Ads• Radio Messages

• Television Interviews• Movie Theatre Ads

• Education• Displays at Public Events

• Waste Information Calendars• Water Bill Inserts

Durham Region Works Department

Newspaper Ads

• Biweekly ads • Full colour• Local

community newspapers

• Repeat ads

Durham Region Works Department

Radio Messages & Television Interviews

• All local radio & television stations

Durham Region Works Department

Movie Theatre Ads

Durham Region Works Department

Education

• Public information sessions, all municipalities• Partnership with hosting municipalities • School presentations

• (150 schools, potentially 400 students per week)

• School tours• Approx. 900 students

per month

Durham Region Works Department

Displays

• Libraries• Businesses• Fall fairs• Malls• Green Bin

Launch

Durham Region Works Department

Waste Collection Calendars

• Delivered to each home, inside the Green Bin kits

• Full explanation of new services

• Colourful• Waste collection

guideDurham Region Works Department

Other Promotional Material

• Water bill inserts• Banner displays at

events• Fact cards at events• Articles in Durham

Works• Information on website Kitchen Food Waste

Composting Works

Divert your kitchen food waste from landfill disposal.

What goes in my

Food Waste

Paper Fibres

Fruits, vegetables, table scraps, meat, fish, dairy products, fat, bread, rice, pasta, bones, coffee grounds, filters, tea bags and eggshells

Paper egg cartons, fast food drink trays, waxed paper food cartons, paper plates & cups, soiled paper towels, tissues and serviettes

Durham Region Works Department

Food Waste Collection Trucks

• Co-collection vehicles• Food waste and garbage collected at

same time• Split into two

separate compartments by a vertical wall

Durham Region Works Department

Composting Facility

• Food waste is collected and taken to this composting facility

• Indoor composting takes about 21 days

• Capacity of 25,000 tonnes per year

Durham Region Works Department

Composting Facility (cont’d)

• Unloading area

Durham Region Works Department

Composting Facility (cont’d)

• Inspection area

Durham Region Works Department

Composting Facility (cont’d)

• Processing area

Durham Region Works Department

Other Major Changes

• Biweekly garbage collection• Reduced bag limits

to 4 bags every two weeks

• Garbage bag tags• Weekly Blue Box

recycling collectionDurham Region Works Department

Measure Your Results

• Waste audits• Site inspections

Durham Region Works Department

Food Waste Tonnages Collected

Ajax

Pickering

Oshawa

Whitby

Total

July

365 tonnes

294 tonnes

443 tonnes

465 tonnes

1,567 tonnes

August

472 tonnes

419 tonnes

561 tonnes

588 tonnes

2,040 tonnesDurham Region Works Department

What Worked

• Encouraged residents to participate• Gave residents timely information• Constantly promoted program• Got political support• Used media to deliver the message• Retailers have biodegradable liner bags• Residents are using the liner bags

Durham Region Works Department

What Worked (cont’d)

• Changed garbage collection to every two weeks

• Changed Blue Box recycling collection to weekly

• Started weekly Green Bin composting collection

• All major collection changes made at same time

Durham Region Works Department

What Didn’t Work

• Delivery took longer than anticipated• Contractor couldn’t finish the clean up• 155,000 calls at our call centre• High volume of Blue Box sales• Biodegradable liner bag inventory

shortages at local retailers

Durham Region Works Department

Lessons Learned

• Start weekly Green Bin and biweekly garbage at the same time

• Leave adequate time between Green Bin delivery and program start date

• Make sure local retailers have inventory of liner bags

• Expect high volumes of calls, even though residents are informed with extensive promotional & educational material

Durham Region Works Department

Region of DurhamWaste Management

www.region.durham.on.ca/waste