2023 Courtenay Annual Report

Lauch of City Organics Program Results in Greater than Expected Diversion of Waste In January 2023 the City launched a new organics program service, allowing for co-mingled yard and kitchen waste to be collected at the curb. This organic waste is now turned into nutrient-rich compost at the new Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) Regional Compost Facility. The new service is diverting garbage volumes going to the regional landfill in Cumberland, extending its lifespan and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Organics composting is essential for the CSWM service to manage solid waste cost-effectively, achieve the waste diversion goals, and align with the province’s disposal target of 350 kilograms per person per year. It is estimated that organics makes up around 30% of materials disposed at the landfill. The City anticipates the program could divert 1,200 tonnes of organics out of the landfill annually. Since the curbside organics collection service launched in Courtenay in 2022, there has been a consistent and notable shift away from garbage to organics. Last year, the collection contractor collected nearly 1000 tonnes less garbage than in 2021. Each truck holds about 7.5 tons of garbage, which is over 130 truck loads of garbage not going to the landfill! Over 3,000 tonnes of organic material were collected by the contractor in 2023, slightly over the previous record high in 2020. That year there was a temporary spike in yard waste disposal as COVID-19 kept people closer to home. Since 2018, Courtenay’s Student Ambassadors have visited public events and gone door-to-door in Courtenay with helpful tips on reducing garbage as well as residential water use. The primary focus of the ambassador program is creating positive interactions that support our region’s shared waste diversion goals – not enforcement. Reducing our community’s impact on the landfill is better for the environment, and our wallets. Annual solid waste fees paid by residents directly reflect the City’s cost to deliver this service. By diverting waste, residents are helping with costs in the short and long term, and extending the life of the regional landfill.

Automated Collection Preparation and Roll Out The City of Courtenay and the Town of Comox worked together on the rollout of the automated residential curbside collection service that launched in January. The new automated collection service uses specially designed, easy-to-roll carts with lids. The new collection trucks have mechanical arms operated by the driver inside the truck's cab. The arms grab, lift and empty the materials in the carts, and then return the carts to the curb. The City and Town distributed three new wheeled carts to households in the fall before the launch of automated service in January – one cart for each material, for bi-weekly recycling and garbage ,and weekly organics. The shift to automated collection followed a competitive bid process in summer 2022. Halton Environmental (operating as Emterra Environmental) was awarded the contract to provide three-stream automated curbside collection over a ten-year term. Comox and Courtenay worked together with a shared goal of making the transition to automated curbside collection as easy as possible including direct mailouts, guides, and a media campaign.

Over 3,000 tonnes of organic material were collected by the contractor in 2023, slightly over the previous record high in 2020. courtenay.ca/organics

City of Courtenay | 2023 Annual Report

40