Olga Steblyk / Sputnik Photography
Currently, 28 per cent of Brantford residents are participating in the city’s new Green Bin program to reduce its carbon footprint. Around 200 tonnes of organic waste was collected in just the first month of its launch.
Brantford introduced this program in early November in partnership with Ontario’s Climate Change Action plan in efforts to shift the province to a circular economy. On average, Ontario wastes $31 billion worth of food a year. The project aims to divert and reuse materials rather than discard them in landfills to reduce this waste.
Ken Klunder is a local green bin waste collector and a member of the Green Team, a group dedicated to diverting waste at festivals and events in the city. He said that while residents are still learning, the participation and reaction to the program has been positive.
“I like seeing that there are a lot of people that buy into it,” said Klunder.
The city held a Green Bin to Win contest throughout November where residents participating in the program sent in photos of their green bins and wrote about their experience each week on the City of Brantford’s website. Residents are intrigued to see how the program will continue and grow in the new year.
Klunder said the city’s efforts are evident and people are excited to do their part, while others are hoping to see the program expand to ensure they’re diverting as much waste as possible.
Amber Dawn, a third-year forensic psychology student with a minor in criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University, is participating in the program and is already eager for more.
“They definitely have to expand to public high traffic spots,” said Dawn.
The Brantford Green Bin program focuses on directing food waste away from the Mohawk Street landfill, which is expected to reach its maximum capacity by 2064. Some Ontario municipalities with landfills already at full capacity ship their waste to Michigan in the United States.
Ontario restaurants, on average, generate 220,000 tonnes of food waste a year. Expansion of the program would divert the mass amounts of waste to a facility where it would be processed into nutrient-rich soil.
Currently, Brantford only has green bin collection for residents in a small portion of the city, but community organizations hope more are included soon.
“A future I’m excited to see is making sure businesses are accepted in the program,” said Karleigh Csordas, another Green Team member.
If residents live in an area not eligible for the program, they can make drop-offs to the Mohawk Street landfill at 20 Morrison Rd. where the collection team will send their waste to a waste processing facility.
