Peterborough County Organics Survey

The County is considering a county-wide organics collection program, but before they start exploring options, they want to get input from County residents. 

Please take the online survey for your chance to win an Organics Prize Pack including kitchen catcher and choice of backyard composter or digester.

Click here to take the Peterborough County Organics Survey

Background

The County of Peterborough is in the process of developing a County Curbside Organics Plan as a part of the Waste Management Master Plan Update to reach the diversion rate goal of 60%. This plan will be used to guide decision-making in the County related to the adoption and implementation of an organics curbside collection program. The plan will identify and evaluate potential ways in which the County could implement organics collection based on existing County programs, what other similar jurisdictions are doing and from public and stakeholder feedback.

Why are we considering this?

In the County, we send almost 50% of the waste we produce to landfills with the other 50% being diverted from landfill through recycling programs like the Blue Box program and the organic waste drop-off depots. The County is striving to divert 60% of waste from landfill. About half of the garbage we throw out consists of organic waste that when landfilled, it decomposes and produces gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Diverting organic food waste reduces greenhouse gas emissions which is a key contributor to climate change and also saves landfill space. When organic food waste is properly disposed of, it can create a valuable and nutrient-rich compost product.

Green bin programs are operating in many Ontario municipalities, including Muskoka, Simcoe County and Northumberland County. The programs may differ in terms of what’s accepted, how the organic waste is collected or how the collected organics are processed. The Province of Ontario is intending to ban organic waste from disposal as early as 2030.

Current Organics Collection Programs

There are currently two pilot organic curbside collection programs operating in the County:
One in the Bridgenorth community in Selwyn, which has been operating since 2006, and the other in Millbrook in Cavan Monaghan, which began in 2019.

County residents can also drop off food waste at five township depots free of charge.

The depots and pilot programs accept food items such as baked goods, coffee grounds and filters, cooked food, dairy products, eggs and shells, fruits and vegetables, leftover food, meat, fish and bones and tea bags.

No changes are proposed to the County’s lead and yard waste collection program at this time.