The Municipality of Chatham-Kent (CK) is developing a long-term solid waste management strategy to guide planning over the next decade.
The strategy will review how current services are working, identify opportunities to reduce waste and improve diversion, and recommend practical, cost-effective improvements that reflect community needs and provincial requirements. However, food waste collection won't be included.
Chatham-Kent Manager of Waste Operations Huda Oda told CK News Today a green bin for food waste specifically is not in the cards in the near term.
"First, let's do the enhanced curb-side leaf and yard collection, let's help people to compost more on their property, and then let's go back to that green bin idea again," said Oda.
Oda explained that the current goal is to combine food and yard waste in the backyard composter, and to consider the food waste green bin at a later time, once there's certainty that it's the best way to divert food waste from the landfill.
"It's very, very expensive compared to the leaf and yard option, for example, or the backyard composter. But then there's also very tangible environmental benefits, and the environmental aspect is definitely considered," Oda added.
She noted that there are 10 options based on public feedback from March, and that they will now be prioritized based on the feedback from an open house on Thursday.
The options include tips for smarter grocery shopping and food storage, a proposed recycling program for mattresses and box springs, reviewing how large items such as sofas and appliances are picked up, swap days and yard sales where residents could turn used goods into useful items, making it cheaper to drop off construction waste by offering incentives to recycle, finding ways to reuse materials such as brush and tree trimmings, and making it easier to dispose of old light bulbs and fluorescent tubes at waste depots.
The municipality noted that a new strategy is necessary due to rising waste volumes, provincial mandates, and dwindling landfill capacity.
Oda said a report is expected to go before CK's council in February 2027, once benefits and costs are analyzed.
She's reminding the public that mulch is free at municipal leaf and yard depots, adding it helps manage the mounds and prevent fire hazards.
Also, there's no fee for residents to take their used tires, batteries, and empty propane tanks to the drop-off depots.
