As part of Metro Vancouver, Bowen Island was required to separate food scraps (and organic waste) from the general garbage. Many of us have adjusted to the new routines that were established in July 2012 and the result has been positive. General waste has been reduced by about 30 per cent thus far. Thank you, Bowen Islanders, for helping us achieve this remarkable goal.
To accommodate the new requirements, Bowen Waste has been picking up organic waste along with the yard trimmings during the same trips. This was a very efficient and effective solution, but because the landscape waste pick-up isn't contracted to occur during the winter and spring months, we had to consider other options.
It is now apparent that most households do not need pick-up every week because they have so little non-organic garbage. Because of this decreased need, and because non-organics are mostly not smelly or messy, it was decided that biweekly pick-up would work. Many communities do their pick-up this way, decreasing their costs and improving their carbon footprint with fewer curbside trips. This biweekly schedule also allows Bowen to do year-round pick-up of organic waste without incurring additional costs.
We continue to monitor volumes to see what will most benefit all of us here on our island. Remember, our garbage still goes to the landfill, a practice that is simply not sustainable. Together we can commit to reducing the amount of our garbage, having items reused or re-purposed wherever possible, and recycling whatever we can.
Solid Waste and Resource Management Advisory Committee (SWRMAC)
