Should the Regional District of Central Kootenay build a composting facility in Nakusp?
Where should EcoDepots (for the disposal of paints, pesticides and other toxic substances) be located in the RDCK, and at what cost?
Should the RDCK provide collection of food waste in the smaller municipalities outside Castlegar, Nelson, and Creston? If so, how much would you pay for this?
These are just a few of the questions in the RDCK’s online survey in which residents are asked to weigh in on its 10-year draft waste management plan.
Residents who complete the survey can enter a draw for a $100 gift certificate to a local business of their choice. There will be two winners selected. The entry form is at the end of the survey, which must be filled out before June 27.
The questions range from how to reduce illegal dumping, to what should be done with the landfills at Nakusp, Ootichenia and Creston, the location and number of recycle depots, and the big-picture questions of how to fund waste management in general.
“Our previous (waste plans) have focused on improving our disposal system,” said the plan’s co-ordinator Todd Johnston in a news release. “This one focuses more on zero waste initiatives – reducing what we send to the landfill. In particular, the plan targets food waste, which is roughly one-quarter of what we land fill.”
In 2020, the news release states, the RDCK collected 490 kilograms per capita of waste, just under the provincial average of 505 kg, from its population of about 60,000 people.
The RDCK consists of the municipalities of Nelson, Castlegar, Creston, Nakusp, New Denver, Silverton, Kaslo, Salmo and Slocan and 11 rural electoral areas.
The region’s waste management system includes three active landfills, 13 waste transfer stations, 23 recycling depots, and two organics composting facilities to be constructed this year in Creston and Salmo.
“Composting food waste will not only save landfill space but will also reduce the generation of methane in our landfills,” Johnston said. “Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, much more potent than carbon dioxide. So, by tackling food waste we are also addressing the climate emergency.”
Those who are unable to fill out the survey online can do so over the phone by calling 250-352-6665.
The survey can be found at https://bit.ly/2SWP4s7 and the draft plan at https://bit.ly/3igO50D.
Related:
• Regional composting program to go ahead in the West Kootenay
• Organic waste pickup for Nelson scheduled for early 2022
• Organic waste pick-up expected by 2022 in RDCK
bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com
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