Food & Yard Waste Collection Program

Residents receiving municipal curbside collection in Comox and Cumberland have been diverting food waste from their garbage through the weekly pilot organics collection program since 2013. Residents who are not yet participating are welcome to start leaving their kitchen waste out for collection comingled with their yard waste on designated collection days.

Residents of Courtenay and Campbell River currently on municipal curbside collection are invited to participate in the new service and start setting out their food and yard waste for curbside collection beginning January 2023 (Courtenay), and April 2023 (Campbell River). Watch for information from your municipality about when pick-up begins in your area.

Food waste (organics) currently accounts for about 30 per cent of the total garbage sent to the CSWM regional landfill. But food waste isn’t garbage – and sending it to the landfill means it takes up much needed and valuable airspace while creating harmful greenhouse gases. By diverting organics and transforming it into nutrient rich compost, we can extend the lifespan of the landfill as well as create high quality compost for the community.

Organics composting is essential for the CSWM and member municipalities to manage solid waste cost effectively and to achieve the CSWM’s Solid Waste Management Plan waste diversion goals.
 

There is limited space at our landfill, and once it is full, there will be a significant increase in costs to manage our waste. Extending the life of our landfill for as long as possible by reducing what goes in the landfill will reduce costs for our community in the long-term.

Reliable organics processing is essential for the CSWM and member municipalities to manage solid waste cost effectively and to achieve the CSWM’s Solid Waste Management Plan waste diversion rate of over 70%, which will be achieved primarily through the increased diversion of organic waste, with a focus on diversion of food waste.

Curbside collection for food and yard waste is managed by each local municipality. Please refer to your local municipality for your curbside collection schedules . Each of the four municipalities have the following information and resources available:
●    Courtenay - The curbside collection schedule for food and yard waste can be accessed via the Courtenay Collects app, printed schedule and/or the City of Courtenay website.
●    Comox - An app is coming soon! Watch for updates at Town of Comox website and save your printed schedule.
●    Cumberland – An app is coming soon! Watch for updates at Village of Cumberland website and save your printed schedule.
●    Campbell River - The curbside collection schedule for food and yard waste can be accessed via the Campbell River Recycles app,  and the City of Campbell River website.

Residents can use bins or containers of their choosing, clearly labeled as Organic Waste, to set out their comingled food/yard waste at the curb.  Please refer to your local municipality for curbside set-out instructions and volume/weight limits.

As part of the service, all residents within the program area will receive kitchen bins – small pails that can be used to collect food waste inside the house before transferring to their larger food and yard waste containers to be set out at the curb.

Watch for new decals for your curbside bins/containers, to be delivered along with the kitchen bins in early 2023.

Curbside collection for food and yard waste is managed by each local municipality. Please refer to your local municipality for curbside set-out instructions.

• Courtenay
• Comox
• Cumberland
• Campbell River

To minimize interactions with pests and other wildlife: 

• Place your bins at the curb on the designated collection day only (not the night before). 
• Bring in your organics bin as soon as possible after collection.
• Reduce odour by cleaning the kitchen and curbside bins with hot water and phosphate-free, environmentally friendly detergent, and/or sprinkle with baking soda.
• If possible, freeze compost during the week and place the frozen compost in the bin for collection to further minimize odours and attractants.

• Table scraps, food scrapings, and food soiled papers – including breads, pasta, rice and noodles, coffee grounds and paper filters, dairy products and non-dairy alternatives, eggshells, fruits and veggies, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and bones, paper towels, napkins and plates, pizza delivery boxes, tea bags).
• Yard waste – flowers, garden trimmings and leaves, plants (living or dead/dried). Branches must be no more than 7.5 cm (3 in) in diameter and cut to fit in the bin with the lid closed.

Compostable and biodegradable plastic liners are NOT accepted. Acceptable liners for your kitchen bin include shredded paper, paper bags, and newspaper. Liners are not required.

The compost system used at the composting facility will not fully break down the components of these bags and the residue will contaminate the finished compost product.

Paper products containing metal, foil or plastic coating/lamination will not break down in the composting process and will end by contaminating the finished compost.

Examples of these products include: Tetra Pak juice boxes, diapers, baby wipes, personal hygiene products, makeup removal pads. Paper towels or tissues with household cleaning liquids (i.e. solvents and cleaners) can kill the necessary bacteria essential for breaking down organic matter and therefore, should not be placed in the organics bin.

Use your CSWM supplied kitchen bin, or a container of your choice. Transfer to the collection bin as needed, until collection day.

That’s great, we encourage all composting! The curbside food and yard waste collection service can enhance existing efforts by accepting items not suitable for backyard systems – this includes meat and bones, fish and dairy. Please refer to your local municipality for applicable bylaws pertaining to outdoor composting.

The finished product will be used for agriculture and landscaping.

A new regional composting facility in Campbell River is planned to be fully operational in 2023. This facility will enable organics collection from 30,000 single family homes in Campbell River, Comox, Cumberland, and Courtenay. 

An organic transfer station is also being constructed on a 19-hectare parcel near the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre in Cumberland to help divert organic waste to the new Campbell River facility. Upon completion, trailers will transport organics from Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland to the regional compost facility in Campbell River on their return trip, maximizing trucking efficiencies. 

Residents currently receiving a municipal curbside collection service will be part of the food and yard waste program. For specific curbside collection program eligibility, please refer to your local municipal solid waste bylaw to determine eligibility for participation.

For 2023, the commissioning of the new organics composting facility is the top priority for the CSWM to manage the organic volumes from the 30,000 residential single family homes within the four member municipalities. While we are certainly excited to bring everyone onboard with the commissioning of the new facility, we need to be mindful of resources from an oversight perspective to deal with contamination. The CSWM service may expand in the future to include other properties and sectors with the necessary resourcing, including drop off at the landfill for a fee (to ensure cost recovery).

If you are a small business in the Comox Valley and would like organics pick-up, local business Earth Warriors Composting may have a solution for you.