Piloting countertop composters to pre-treat organic waste in Nelson
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Waste
Project value$794,200
Project Type
Pilot Project
Sub Sector
Composting
Grant amount$395,700
Program type
GMF
Municipality
City of Nelson, BC
Status
In Progress
Population
11,106
Project timeline
2022 -
Project number
DFC-22-0011
Description
Responding to climate change requires bold, innovative, and whole-of-community solutions. In order to achieve our ambitious climate targets of a 75% reduction in community GHG emissions by 2030, as outlined in Nelson Next, our leading Climate Action Plan, this pilot supports the implementation of a city-wide residential organics diversion program that goes beyond business as usual to reimagine how we handle food waste.
The city-wide residential pre-treated organics pilot will be the first in Canada to combine the ease and environmental performance of pre-treatment with the flexibility of traditional curbside collection to divert food waste from landfill. This pilot will reduce emissions, divert more waste from landfill than other organics collection models, and engage residents to maximize program success.
By equipping residential households with pre-treatment appliances designed to decrease the weight and volume of household food waste by ~90%, our city will divert more than 60% of waste from the landfill. The pilot will reach 5,516 residential households, including multi-family, and will expand upon current City curbside collection by 45% while utilizing existing collection vehicles and staff. Because of the decrease in weight and volume, we anticipate only 8 collection services will be required per year which significantly reduces transportation emissions.
After pre-treatment, users are left with a pathogen-free and sterile biomass that is easy to store, and can be used on-site in gardening applications or collected to undergo anerobic digestion at a centralized waste facility. No methane is produced in pre-treatment and the energy required is minimal, at less than 1kWh per cycle, which in our community is powered by clean energy.
This proposal is informed by two preceding Pilot initiatives that investigated the viability of a community-wide pre-treated organics program. The results of the pilots have been outstanding and provide a real-world example of how employing clean technology can help meet our emissions reduction targets. This community-wide pilot will provide an ideal testing ground for this innovative approach to organics diversion given Nelson’s long history of environmental leadership and willingness to pioneer creative local solutions to global climate challenges.
This pilot will:
• Exceed a 60% diversion rate from landfill
• Reduce greater emissions than traditional weekly curbside through reducing the number of trips to the Salmo waste facility
• Recover more organics than a traditional weekly curbside model
• Have a lower cost per Co2e/tonne avoided than traditional weekly curbside collection
• Provide a more cost-effective organics diversion model compared to traditional weekly curbside
• Create local green jobs and encourage economic activity
• Support a Canadian owned clean technology company
• Engage the whole of our community to participate in sustainable behaviour to shift attitudes and build capacity
• Provide a model for other municipalities to emulate and replicate
• Support Nelson to achieve our ambitious climate targets and align with National and International targets and pledges
• Achieves Nelson Next Priority Tactic “to deliver an efficient, cost-effective, city-wide organics diversion program
• Exceed a 60% diversion rate from landfill
• Reduce greater emissions than traditional weekly curbside through reducing the number of trips to the Salmo waste facility
• Recover more organics than a traditional weekly curbside model
• Have a lower cost per Co2e/tonne avoided than traditional weekly curbside collection
• Provide a more cost-effective organics diversion model compared to traditional weekly curbside
• Create local green jobs and encourage economic activity
• Support a Canadian owned clean technology company
• Engage the whole of our community to participate in sustainable behaviour to shift attitudes and build capacity
• Provide a model for other municipalities to emulate and replicate
• Support Nelson to achieve our ambitious climate targets and align with National and International targets and pledges
• Achieves Nelson Next Priority Tactic “to deliver an efficient, cost-effective, city-wide organics diversion program
Applicant
City of Nelson, BC