RDCK receives CleanBC Organic Infrastructure and Collection Program Grant
December 6, 2021
Nelson, BC: The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) is now one step closer to launching its regional composting services, with the recent approval from the Province to receive a CleanBC Organics Infrastructure and Collection Program (OICP) grant. The grant will contribute two-thirds of eligible costs (up to $1,196,057) for establishing curbside collection of organic materials in Castlegar and Creston in 2022; the RDCK will contribute the remaining one-third, up to $598,028. The funds will also support the launching of any new Electoral Area curbside collection services within the RDCK.
The grant money will be used to pay for containers, educational materials, and staffing support for curbside programs in Creston, Castlegar and potential Electoral Area programs. OICP funding will also support in-depth consultation with residents living in Electoral Areas under consideration for curbside collection services in 2023.
“This project is a positive step in addressing climate change,” said Aimee Watson, RDCK Board Chair. “Needlessly landfilling food and other clean organic wastes creates a lot of methane, a major greenhouse gas; developing regional composting facilities will not only significantly reduce emissions, but also enable what is currently being processed as waste to be turned into a valuable resource – an all around win for the region.”
“Keeping organic waste out of landfills is part of our government’s commitment to reducing B.C.’s carbon footprint. The Province is pleased to support the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s work to lower emissions and expand curbside collection to rural communities in the region,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
“We know from the experiences of other regions, that the convenience and simplicity of curbside collection results in more households participating with the program, which means less food waste in the garbage and more clean compost for the region,” said Garry Jackman, RDCK Joint Resource Recovery Committee Chair. “The CleanBC program supports the RDCK in reaching our organic waste diversion and Climate Action goals.”
RDCK Staff will work closely with their municipal partners to maximize grant dollars by sharing communication and education resources and ensuring that messaging is consistent throughout the region.
“We are always excited about collaborating with our municipal and regional partners to save money on new services for our residents,” said Kirk Duff, City of Castlegar Mayor. “This grant will help Castlegar prepare for the successful launch and implementation of the new curbside organics collection program which reduces garbage accumulation and organic waste going to the landfill.”
While not under OICP grant funding, the City of Nelson will be using an alternative to the conventional curbside collection by incorporation of a cleantech solution to divert organics from the waste stream; the new program is expected to roll out in 2022.
Curbside services in Castlegar, Creston, and Nelson will service approximately 10,074 households, however there is a strong business case for curbside collection in portions of RDCK Electoral Areas, which could increase the program size by an additional 8,707 households. The Electoral Areas being considered for curbside services are within a reasonable distance of the two compost facilities currently underway. To learn more about the RDCK’s approach to developing an organic waste program, please visit: www.rdck.ca/organics.
Compost facility construction is underway, with the Creston and Central (Salmo) compost facilities expected to be operational by spring and fall of 2022, respectively. Both compost facilities received two-thirds funding through the Organics Infrastructure Program – Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund by the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada. The Ootischenia Landfill and Grohman Narrows Transfer Station will both undergo upgrades in 2022 to facilitate organics collection and transfer.
“This grant funding is a great compliment to our composting program starting operations in 2022,” said Amy Wilson, RDCK Resource Recovery Manager. “The Creston, Central (Salmo), Grohman, and Ootischenia facilities will be accepting both residential and commercial organics, including all the food waste that doesn’t belong in your backyard compost like meats, bones, fats, sauces, and soiled paper. This additional grant funding will kick-start these new curbside collection programs resulting in higher organics diversion.”
The CleanBC Organics Infrastructure and Collection Program will support communities throughout BC, by investing up to $25.9 million in new, or expanded, organic waste processing infrastructure, and residential organic waste collection programs.
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The content on this page was last updated December 6 2021 at 12:57 AM