The Chatham-Kent 2024 Waste Management Report shows some ups and downs last year, but some new initiatives on the front burner this year and beyond.
An information report going to council on Monday night shows a 2.8 per cent drop last year in curbside waste sent to the Ridge landfill compared to 2023, but a 2.8 per cent jump in waste going to depots.
CK Manager of Waste Management Huda Oda wrote in her report that nearly 28,830 tonnes of curbside waste was sent to landfill in 2024 and municipal depots processed approximately 7,340 tonnes of waste from about 154,700 depot users.
Oda said Public Works is exploring a possible reduction in garbage collection in the future because the average curbside household’s waste cart was 70 per cent full and the participation rate was 85 per cent last year.
Also, the average non-curbside household only deposited one bag of garbage per week, which Oda said is significantly less than the weekly limit of six bags.
She noted CK residents saw significant changes for waste management last year, including shifting responsibility for the recycling program to the private sector and that allowed the municipality to shift its focus to increasing waste diversion in other waste streams.
Oda noted organic waste is a significant component of residential waste generated at the curb and administration is moving forward with planning for an enhanced organic waste diversion system by implementing a backyard composter program in 2026 and a curbside leaf and yard collection service in 2027.
Oda said the overall diversion rate of municipally managed waste is 20 per cent, not including blue box material diversion. The waste diversion rate for 2018 was 50 per cent, but that included blue box materials.
"Chatham-Kent’s waste management programs remain largely stable, despite the Blue Box Program transition and the introduction of operational changes at depots and at the curb. The overall waste generation remains consistent with the past two years, with slight fluctuations. This suggests that more efforts should be sought to reduce landfill-destined waste generation across the municipality," Oda wrote.
She added administration will be completing a long-term waste management strategy that will evaluate waste programs and provide a road map to improve them. It will also review the waste streams accepted at depots over the next several months.
She said plans are also underway to prioritize improving waste promotion and education starting next year.