West Hants, Nova Scotia Adds Compost to Waste Collection List
The West Hants region of Nova Scotia is finally adding compost to their waste collection list, and the relief towards the September 12th council decision is tangible. Those who had been advocating for the program for more than five years were especially excited about the new development.
Since 2012, the area’s council members have debated back and forth about their stance on implementing a composting system. Although it is indeed a lot of work to put into place, it can be done, and it already has been in the majority of the province. Even the smaller areas nearby such as East Hants, Hantsport, and Windsor had green bins for a while before West Hants decided to discuss the idea of introducing the program to its residents.
In April of next year, the region will employ a new waste management company to take care of the green bin implementation. The contract with Royal Environmental Inc. will last until at least 2023, a five-year guarantee that the new system will run smoothly. There may be other changes to waste collection as a result of a new waste management leader as well.
After a long debate about the possibility of a composting program, West Hants reached out to its citizens for their opinions. Less than 10% of the area’s total population participated in the poll, but they were fairly representative of the whole. Overall, nearly two-thirds of voters decided that a green bin program should be used by the region.
When asked for explanations as to why regional composting should or shouldn’t be done, West Hants residents often described their distaste for backyard composting and the inability to put discarded animal products, like meat and bones, into their gardens to fertilise their plants. These materials are slowly being banned from landfills, as well. Green waste bins are therefore the best choice for the majority.
This seems to be a necessary step anyway, seeing as more than one quarter of what ends up at the dump is organic material that should have been composted. Citizens don’t seem to care much, either; many don’t even bother to hide the fact that they’re throwing away organic matter that they know will be sent to a landfill.
Having seen the indifferent waste-related behaviours of several West Hants residents, it comes as no surprise that not everyone is fond of the new green bin system. Some question the economic and environmental implications of the mass collecting and disposing of organic waste when people could simply continue to backyard compost. Furthermore, the waste collected is often accidentally mixed with materials that can’t be composted, like plastic and metal.
Fortunately, it shouldn’t cost each household in the area any more than $55 each year to accommodate the composting program. Surrounding municipalities will have it a bit pricier - up to $76 per year. These estimates may change once the program is up and running. Whether citizens approve or not, the green bin system will soon commence, collecting organic waste every other week.
