Three more Yellowknife neighbourhoods will receive green organics carts from the city starting Friday.
Single-family dwellings in Frame Lake, Grace Lake and Hall Crescent can expect their carts sometime in the next couple of days, with collection starting the week of Oct. 10.
The carts are to be used for the collection of organics waste so that it can be diverted from the city’s landfill to its composting facility.
Households in Range Lake have had them since 2014 while residents of single-family dwellings in Niven, Old Town and School Draw have had them since last fall.
People living in the city’s downtown area will be the last to receive their green carts. Organics carts are expected to roll out to residents living there in the fall of 2017.
Mike Auge is manager of sustainability and solid waste management with the City of Yellowknife. He says the carts will be distributed over the next couple of days as part of a two-step process.
“Residents will be getting their actual cart probably either Friday or Saturday and then early next week they’ll get their kitchen catcher and information package,” he said.
The city says staggering the introduction of the carts allows it to figure out how much organic waste will be collected and expand its facilities accordingly.
Auge couldn’t say how much total organics waste has been diverted from the city’s landfill since the introduction of the green carts program, though he’s confident it’s having a positive impact.
“I believe in our last waste study, which was done about 10 years ago, the composition for household waste was 40 per cent organics,” he said.
“We’re obviously not diverting the full 40 per cent right now but it is increasing steadily with each month that goes by. We expect that to continue moving forward with the new neighbourhoods.”
Once carts are delivered to every single-family dwelling in the city, Auge says the city will shift its focus to the multi-family and commercial sectors.
To learn more about the city’s green carts program, click here.
There will also be information sessions at the Multiplex on Sept. 27 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm and at next week’s Yellowknife Farmers Market.
