Yellowknife plans curbside composting pilot program

The City of Yellowknife is launching a curbside composting program this fall by distributing green bins to 900 single-family homes.

In 2007, a study showed 26 per cent of Yellowknifers' waste is organic, so the city decided to implement a composting system.

"At the end of the day waste diversion is number one goal, which means our landfill will have less product put into it and we end up with a product that's useful in gardens and soil and planting vegetation which obviously helps with the environment around us," said PeterHouweling, superintendent of the city's solid waste facility.

Yellowknifers will be able to purchase the compost at the landfill.

People can put everything from meat andbones, to yard waste, to dryer lint in thegreen bin. It will be picked up on the side of the road in front of homes just like garbage.

Each family will also get a smaller containerto collect the organic waste inside their home.

The city expects to expand the green bin program to the rest of the homes in the city within four years.

All single-family homes in Yellowknife will get a black binthis fall, similar to the green bin, that will be used for garbage pick-up.