Garbage going to landfill down 31.4%, says Halifax report

Recent changes to curbside pick up of garbage, recyclables and compost in Halifax seem to be working, according to a recent report.

The amount of garbage heading to the landfill in August and September dropped by 31.4 per cent compared to the same time last year, the statistics from Solid Waste Resources show.    

• Trash talk: your questions answered about clear bags

The amount of organics being sent to the composting plants is down 8.1 per cent and recycling is up 19.4 per cent.   

That surprised Regional Councilor Reg Rankin, who represents Timberlea-Beechville-Clayton Park West, where the Otter Lake Waste Processing and Disposal Facility is located.

"I wasn't that hopeful," Rankin said. "I knew it would be in the right direction, but this is a very positive outcome."  

Starting on the first of August, home owners had to start putting most garbage in clear bags. Only one of six can be put in a black bag. Box board was switched from the green cart to the blue bag and grass is no longer allowed at all in the composting stream.

• Read the report to Halifax Regional Council about the impact of clear garbage bags

The move was done to try to reduce the overall cost of the municipality's waste system.  

"The most expensive place [to put our garbage] is in a landfill," Rankin said. "It extends the life of the landfill that much more, so all around very good news."  

These numbers are similar to what happened in Cape Breton, the Annapolis Valley and Markham, Ont., when those municipalities switched to clear bags, the report said.  

But two months of data is not enough to signal a trend, the report warned. Instead, staff will continue to gather more information, such as the number of garbage bags generated per household.