Surrey residents have helped bring Metro Vancouver a little bit closer to its waste diversion goals.
The city’s Rethink Waste program, which was launched on October 1, has led to a 35% decrease in garbage being sent to landfills.
The new waste collection program is designed to divert waste from landfills by having a separate collection service for organic waste, which was previously estimated to make up approximately 65% of household garbage.
“The response from residents has been really great and we want to thank them for being so supportive of our new waste collection program,” said Surrey councillor Bruce Hayne, chair of the city’s environmental advisory committee.
After collection, the organic waste is processed into compost and fertilizer at the Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre facility. By 2015, Surrey aims to have the country’s largest organics biofuel facility. It will be located in Port Kells near the Surrey Transfer Station and be used to process kitchen and yard waste into a renewable fuel.
Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste mandate aims to achieve a 70% diversion of waste being sent to landfills by 2015. The City of Surrey said that if it stays on track with its Rethink Waste program, it will exceed that goal and achieve an estimated 75% diversion rate.
“Based on the first month’s results, it appears that the city is ahead of initial targets and on pace to achieve our reduction goals sooner than expected,” said Hayne.
The City of Surrey collects waste from approximately 100,000 homes.
