Green carts are making their Chilliwack debut.
Residents of single family homes and duplexes across the city are taking delivery of new green carts and kitchen catchers they’ll be using shortly for compostable waste.
Mayor Sharon Gaetz is thrilled about the enhanced waste collection service being rolled out for the first week of May.
“Through this new program, we will be able to divert even more waste from the landfill than recycling alone, leaving a better planet for our children and grandchildren to enjoy,” Gaetz said.
Having the option to separate food waste from the regular waste stream at last is something Chilliwack residents have been requesting for years.
The kitchen scraps and other compostables account for about 40 per cent of household garbage.
“Compostable” waste is the latest preferred term in use for the combination of organics, (food waste), food-soiled paper and yard waste, which will go in the green carts, to be picked up on the appointed day.
One of the first green carts was delivered to Rosedale resident Terisha Mitchell on Wednesday by Mayor Gaetz, who was joined by Emterra and Rehrig Pacific reps, Ed Walsh, and Dennis Monestier, for the special green cart kick-off.
Chilliwack residents are experiencing a shift in their waste diversion practices, with the requirement to start separating their compostable waste for curbside collection as of May 1.
Everyone in the curbside program will be provided with a two-gallon (8L) ‘kitchen catcher’ to store food waste and food-soiled paper until it can be transferred into the larger green cart on wheels that will be placed at the curb for collection. Inside the smaller container will be stickers and program info.
Delivery of the carts and kitchen catchers to all 21,200 households will be ongoing throughout the month of April from Monday to Saturday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Get the new mobile app Chilliwack Curbside Collection to help with remembering the changes that go into effect next month. Search for what's recyclable and what's not, or which day of the week is your collection day, or set reminders.