Green cart for compost goes live (was trial)

[CapnCrunch]

I don't mind the idea, but I agree with some others that the bins are way too big.

(Other than the black one during home reno's )

[dexlargo]

Originally posted by lilmira
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...991/story.html

Looks like it's gonna be another big bin.

According to the proposal that was before counsel, the green bin for the pilot will be half the size of the blue and black carts:

http://agendaminutes.calgary.ca/sire...s&fileid=68262

Also, all the houses will be given a 7 litre pail for the kitchen to collect the scraps with a supply of compostable liners to put in the pail.

[2007RS4]

Thanks to those who elected our green mayor. Tax and spend.

[AndyL]

Oh c'mon it's for a GREENER environment...

So another cart... that's half the size, yeah that's better... Another one with a totally different footprint...

Can't we just go like the other cities and put it into a special paper bag in the blue bin? Sort the bags out at that fancy recycling plant?

I want my unabomber shack in the woods...

[lilmira]

Remember this video? lol

[ianmcc]

to the opt out!
I have three compost bins and don't want this bin.

[LollerBrader]

Originally posted by Xtrema

why do I need to subsidize a business? They are already getting my waste for free.

I wholeheartedly agree - Thee output is a valuable resource... and hopefully it at least pays for the cost of pickup.

It probably won't - The process of composting reduces volume around 10fold... For every 10 lbs they pick up, they'll get 1 lb of usable compost.

I suspect that this is a practice that isn't well suited to centralization... but then again, I'm not a smarty pants urban designer with his hand in the cookie jar.

Addendum: That being said, I think it's a good idea overall to keep organic waste out of landfills.

[J-hop]

ok, so as much as I can understand where people against this are coming from, aren't we losing our race track because people didn't (and are continuing not to) recycle/compost enough?

seems interesting that we, especially as car enthusiasts, are up in arms about the symptom (losing the track) but when handed a resolution to one of the main underlying problems, we refuse it???

[Cos]

Calgary 2015

[PremiumRSX]

If Calgary wants to do a good job recycling, they should incorporate recycling programs everywhere and not just at home.

Here in Taiwan, for all the fast food restaurants/food courts, when you throw away your garbage, you have to separate it.
- Garbage/Recyclables/Leftovers/Liquids/Cups

Everything is labeled in Chinese and English and only takes a few more seconds to sort than just throwing everything into the garbage.

Also saw on the news that somewhere in Taiwan they turned a landfill into a park and is somehow generating electricity from the waste that's under the park.

[ExtraSlow]

Calgary produces biogas from some of it's old landfills and uses that to make electricity. Pretty common.

[speedog]

Bumpity bump.

So I am curious and would like to hear from those that have all three bins (black, blue and green) - exactly what do you think of the three bin system.

I don't want to hear from the haters or the naysayers, just from people that have all three. How do you find the green bins and has having one changed anything in your household?

[raceman6135]

I can't speak for the current pilot project, but I was included in the pilot back in 2004/2005. I found it was pretty good, but being a single-person household meant that none of the bins/bags were very full upon pickup.

Also, it was convenient for me because the bins were in the alley, and I could take out the compostable material each morning when I left for work, because I parked in the back part of my yard.

During the summer, they collected the green bins every week, so it never got too smelly from the grass clippings and such.

Now, though, because I largely work from home and don't have much space in the alley for another bin, it may not be as convenient.

If it weren't for my grass clippings, me as a single person would barely generate enough compostable waste each week to fill a 5 gallon jug, let along the larger bins they have now (not sure what size they're using).

[01RedDX]

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[speedog]

Originally posted by 01RedDX
After nearly 5 years we've gotten pretty used to it, our kitchen garbage pail doesn't smell nearly as bad and takes much longer to fill because the smelliest garbage (food waste and scraps) now goes in the green bin, along with grass/leaves and other yard waste. Bi-weekly black bin collection is not a problem either because it doesn't fill up as fast or smell as bad as it did before. The city then uses the compost in its parks and flower beds and such. I think it's a good program but some larger families might have a problem with bi-weekly garbage pick up.

After 5 years, are you still bagging all the compostables or do they just go straight into the green bin? If you're bagging, what kind of bags and where do you get them from?

[01RedDX]

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[g-m]

I don't use my green bin for anything other than grass clippings and shoveling out my fire pit. And BBQ grease I guess. So 1-2 times a year? The bi-weekly garbage pickup is a pain

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by 01RedDX
Newspaper liners can be used in place of compostable bags and you can buy all that stuff at the eco stores like green calgary and other places.

So one reason not to ditch the Herald subscription yet?

Don't have green bin yet but blue bin is now full every week. Black and Green can probably alternate except for the summer mowing months.

[Joel_D]

Originally posted by Xtrema

Black and Green can probably alternate except for the summer mowing months.

Dump the grass clippings in your garden, and then turn the soil.

We already have a compost, but I'm planning to use the green cart as a rain barrel. I'm hoping I can simply remove the wheels and silicone the holes.

[Inzane]

We've had the Green bin organics collection program for a couple years now in Beaumont. I've gradually gotten used to it.

My biggest problem was it wasn't an opt in or out thing. It was shoved down our throats with no chance to opt out. Our monhtly garbage collection bill went up 25-30% directly because of it. If the bin itself gets lost or damaged we are on the hook for replacement cost.

My 2nd problem is the organics bin is yet another huge bin that takes up space on my driveway. (We have a 2 bin system, Green for organics, Grey bin for normal garbage, and thankfully for now still blue bags for normal recycle material). I didn't want this thing, but whether I use it or not, I'm paying monthly for it and have to keep it somewhere on my property.

3rd problem is it stinks to high hell. Sure I could periodically clean it out with a hose and an enviro-friendly cleaner, if I wanted to. But that's messy and another chore now that I wouldn't have to do if this wasn't forced on me in the first place.

From what I've seen so far, we don't get to see the actual results of this effort. I haven't seen any reports with specifics on energy generation or landfill diversion. But those town council members sure get to feel good about themselves for "doing something".