Waste Strategies

• Live in an apartment/condo? Complete the Food Waste Diversion Survey by 4 p.m. on Feb. 8.
• Are you a building manager/property owner? Complete your version of the Food Waste Diversion Survey by 4 p.m. on Feb. 8.
• Winter 2021: The City is now consulting with residents and building managers of multi-residential buildings with seven or more units about the option of making use of the Green Bin program mandatory.
• View the feedback report on the Food Waste Diversion Survey sent directly to apartment/condo building managers in fall of 2020.
• View the feedback report from the 2019 Waste Strategies engagement.

The City is seeking input on the implementation of new waste strategies to reach the goal of diverting 65 per cent of household waste from landfill by 2025. The City has been stuck at 60 per cent waste-diversion level and new service levels, policies or programs are needed to reach 65 per cent.

Curbside audits show that as much as 50 per cent of what is in the average garbage bag is compostable (35 per cent) or recyclable (15 per cent) material that can be captured in the City’s voluntary blue/grey recycling box and green bin programs. If all of these waste items were put in the right box or bin, Kingston would have a waste diversion rate of 76 per cent!

Diverting waste from landfill is good for the land, air, water and climate. Watch this video to learn about how waste reacts in a landfill.

Diverting waste also means capturing valuable resources out of the garbage sent to landfill that can be reused, recycled or composted.

For more details on this project and its background, see the City’s project page.