Edmonton apartments and condos to have separate food scraps collection

Edmontonians living in apartment and condominium complexes will soon also have to separate their garbage, food scraps and recycling.

City council unanimously passed a bylaw change Wednesday morning, paving the path for three streams of waste collection at condos and apartment complexes.

Collection will be phased over time between the fall of 2023 and 2027, with the city saying it will work with individual properties to ensure the transition goes smoothly.

The bylaw requires that each type of waste have a disposal location or container close by, which can be bins, carts, or chutes.

"By taking a measured approach and rolling out the new program in phases, we'll be able to listen to residents and adjust as we go," said Denis Jubinville, the city's waste services branch manager.

"We know many residents want to do their part for the environment, and this program will give them that opportunity," Jubinville added in a statement.

"Not only will we send less waste to the landfill and help preserve the environment, but this change will make waste service consistent for all Edmontonians."

In 2021, the city moved to a new system where homeowners using curbside garbage collection were given separate waste and organic carts. A year later, the city said landfills received about 30 per cent less trash.

Coun. Ashley Salvador, representing Ward Métis, says the change will help the city meet it's ambitious waste reduction targets.

"Ensuring that our multi-stream collection is not just applicable for individual residential homeowners but also multi-family is a really important step," Salvador told reporters.

"It will be a fantastic change across Edmonton."

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FLEXIBLE BAG RULES

Wednesday's bylaw also changed rules surrounding what types of bags all Edmontonians can use with the waste-collection system.

Previously, the city required any plastic bags used in food scraps carts be compostable. That requirement was dropped, since the city said compostable plastics do not fully break down in most regional and Edmonton facilities.

Residents can use any plastic or paper bag as a liner in their organic cart, with facilities removing the organic material from the bags during processing. Officials recommend not using any bag or liner as the best option for the environment and saving the city money.

"With more flexibility, we hope that more residents will be able to fully participate in waste sorting," Jubinville said. "This would mean fewer food scraps in our garbage stream, and more progress towards the City's environmental goals."