GUELPH – The launch of a Wellington Waste App will be part of a public education effort as the county prepares to introduce new curbside collection programs this summer.
“As you can imagine there is much work to be done before the July transition to the new curbside collection contract,” councillor Gregg Davidson, who chairs the solid waste services (SWS) committee, told county councillors on Jan. 30.
Under the new contract, standardized collection frequency for both urban and rural households will be implemented; recyclables and organics will be collected weekly, while user-pay bagged garbage will be collected every other week.
Materials will be collected on both sides of all roads (in driveway). Previously, material was collected only on one side of the road in rural areas.
“As collection will occur on both sides of the roads when the enhanced service begins, there will likely be some re-routing take place and those discussions are happening,” Davidson said.
“Add to that the new green bin (compost) service and the collection of our yellow bags every other week throughout the county, we know that we need to have a solid plan when it comes to educating our citizens.
“That is where our new solid waste programs coordinator Marisa Renn comes in,” Davidson told council.
He noted Renn, who joined county staff in November, “brings with her experience from Halton Region and will be a great addition to the solid waste team as we educate our community during this transition.”
Davidson said the new waste app will be available before the new contract goes into effect..
“Coming soon … will be the Wellington Waste App. This new tool will be a great asset to the residents as it can be set up with reminders, notices and what goes in your blue box – also when yard waste is collected and much, more,” he explained.
“This new app will help us get a message out about the new curbside collection service. So when I said coming soon, it’s got to be here before July.”
Landfill transition
Davidson also advised council that preparation for transition to Phase Two of the Riverstown Landfill Site is continuing.
“Phase Two of Riverstown Landfill is ready to go,” he said, adding “it is anticipated that Phase One will be at or near capacity by 2021.”
Pollinator habitats
A report from SWS manager Das Soligo updated council on progress on pollinator habitats at the county’s existing closed landfill site.
“Over the past two years SWS has begun planning and establishing pollinator habitat and food sources at selected county closed landfill sites. These efforts have ranged from introducing wildflower seed, 153 mixes, in landfill capping works to planting trees, shrubs and grasses which will benefit local pollinator populations,” Soligo noted in the report.
Late in 2019 construction began on a landscaped pollinator garden, complete with an outdoor classroom, at the Aberfoyle Waste Facility. The construction is expected to be completed in 2020, and selected vegetation will be planted.
Other closed landfill sites will be selected to continue the naturalization of these properties, with particular attention to supporting local pollinator populations, the report states.
‘Our Food Future’
Soligo’s report also notes SWS is an active participant in the Our Food Future, Smart Cities initiative.
The joint City of Guelph/Wellington County initiative’s Waste as a Resource workstream is one of the three pillars of the project, the report notes.
“While the Our Food Future initiative is officially underway as of the first of January 2020, work and project planning has been occurring for over a year. There are multiple opportunities within the Waste as a Resource workstream and collaborative opportunities across the other workstreams,” Soligo pointed out.
Notable projects include:
– exploration, development, execution and evaluation of opportunities to collaborate on food waste reduction and diversion initiatives between Guelph and the county;
– acquiring baseline data related to food waste generation at the household level, and researching interventions to reduce food waste;
– participation in a Recycling Council of Ontario pilot project that will provide food waste diversion opportunities to the industrial, commercial and institutional sector; and
– participation in the development and provision of community-focused education and engagement opportunities related to food waste.
“Staff will provide periodic updates to the SWS Committee on the status and results of the various projects related to Our Food Future, community engagement and education,” Soligo states in the report.
“Through the Solid Waste Services Strategy, a number of community engagement and education initiatives were identified which will support enhanced participation and uptake of waste reduction practices.”
