The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is implementing new programs to stop organic waste from entering the landfill.
CK council met on Monday and approved creating a backyard composter program, a standardized curbside leaf and yard waste collection program, and a pilot depot food waste digester program.
The hope is this will help divert over 50 per cent of the municipality's organic waste from the landfill since its required by the province through the Ontario Food and Organic Waste Policy Statement.
Currently, the municipality diverts around 39 per cent. The urban areas average around 31 per cent while the rural areas are roughly at 39 per cent.
The backyard composter program will start in 2026 with interested residents able to buy the composters for $20 each.
Standardized curbside leaf and yard waste collection is set to start in 2027. Most communities will see bi-weekly collection of bagged leaves, yard waste, and brush bundles from April to November with two extra collections in January for Christmas trees.
This won't impact Ridgetown and Thamesville as the communities will continue to receive weekly collection of bagged yard waste and brush between April and December.
The depot food waste digester pilot program is scheduled to start in 2028 at the Harwich Depot for one year and could be expanded to more depots in the future.
The programs will cost over $4.2 million with the municipality getting the funding from multiple reserves. It's also expected to cost around $2.1 million annually to operate these programs.
The operating costs will be paid for through municipal taxes with Gord Quinton, the Chief Finance Officer for the municipality, telling CK News Today this should only impact urban property owners.
"The majority of it, including the curbside lead and yard collection, is only charged to the urban areas that get the service. So if you are a homeowner in the rural area, no impact," he said.
There won't be an impact on taxes until 2027, however, council could cut other costs in the budget to offset the increase.
Much of the operating costs will be for new positions in the municipality. They'll include seven waste collector/ equipment operators, one dispatcher, and one supervisor. These positions won't be filled until January 1, 2027.