Ten answers to your top questions about the new Organics Program

Kawartha Lakes – One month in, and the new Organics Program for urban areas in Kawartha Lakes is already making a difference. Within the first month of the program, we diverted 94.67 tonnes of food and organic waste from our landfills. Thank you to all those who have been participating.

We’re hearing plenty of great feedback and valuable questions from the community.

Here are ten key takeaways from what residents like you have shared so far:

1.  How are my organics being used?
The organic material is taken to a facility in Pickering for pre-screening to remove contamination and grind the material into a slurry. The slurry is taken to a local anaerobic digestion facility in the Kawartha Lakes, also known as a biogas facility, to break down organic materials into biogas and digestate. Biogas is used to generate electricity and digestate is applied as a fertilizer to local farm fields.

2.  Why is Organics pickup on a different day than regular waste pickup?
The current garbage and recycling collection schedule operates Monday to Thursday. By offering organics collection on Friday, the collector is able to utilize the same garbage and recycling trucks for organics collection. Collecting organics on Fridays instead of regular garbage collection days reduces the cost of the Program, which saves the taxpayer money.

3.   Do I have to use compostable bags?
Compostable bags are encouraged to reduce mess, deter animals, and contain the material within the bins, but they are not required. Compostable bags can be found in local hardware stores in the appropriate sizes to fit the bins (10 litre/2.6 gallon for the kitchen catcher, 50 litre/13.2 gallon for the rollout cart).  Compostable bags are recommended due to the speed they decompose as well as their non-toxic composition. Compostable bags are different from biodegradable bags; which are not accepted.

4.   Can I opt out of the Program if I don’t want to participate?
No. If a resident is within the urban areas of Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Omemee, and Lindsay, participation is mandatory. The municipality has implemented the organics program in order to comply with the Ontario government’s Food and Organic Waste Policy. The policy requires municipality’s to have a program in place that reduces food and organic waste by 50% in urban settlement areas by 2025.

We are providing a grace period for the first few months of collection to allow residents and collectors to adjust to the change. The grace period will be ending May 1, 2025. Once the grace period is over, we will be enforcing the requirements of By-Law 2024-035 to encourage participation in the program. Diverting organic materials from regular waste will have many environmental benefits. A daily habit of sorting your household organics will have the biggest impact on preserving landfill space, reducing greenhouse gases, and creating valuable resources for local farmers.

5.   Will the Program ever expand to all of Kawartha Lakes?
We hope to. We started the program in the urban areas of Kawartha Lakes in order to meet the mandate set out in the Ontario government’s Food and Organic Waste Policy. As we learn more about the program, it will help us understand when or if expansion to our rural communities is possible.

6.   Can paper or shredded paper go in the organics bins?
If you have a small amount of shredded paper (a sheet or two) then that is acceptable for the organics bin. Large amounts of shredded paper should be placed in a bag for recycling on your green (fibre) collection day.

7.   What do I do with tissues, napkins, or paper towels?
Tissues, napkins and paper towels are acceptable in the Organics Program if they are clean or if they’ve been used to clean up water, food mess, or anything that is non-toxic. In the event the tissue, napkins or paper towel are used to clean up any undesirable liquid or bodily fluids, please place them in your waste bags.

8.   What’s the difference between the Organics Program and backyard composting?
The organic materials collected as part of the Organics Program are taken to an anaerobic digestion facility where they will be processed into biogas and digestate to be used as a fertilizer. A definition of small-scale backyard composters or digesters is provided on our Diversion Programs page.

9.   What happens if my bin is broken?
If your bin is broken, please email our Customer Service team at inquiries@kawarthalakes.ca and include a picture of the damaged bin. Your information will be forwarded to our Waste Management team and they will contact you with next steps.

10.  What do I do if my organics weren’t collected?

Complete the checklist:

• Did you put it out at the right time? Your rollout cart should be at the curb for pickup by 7am.
• Did you put out the right material? Check for a sticker to see if it was left behind for a reason.
• Did you use the right bin? Organics will only be collected from your organics rollout cart.
• Did you put it out on the right day? Organics is collected on Fridays each week, if there is a holiday during the week, it will be pushed forward to Saturday.

If none of the above reasons apply and your organics collection was missed, please contact Miller Waste to report it 1-888-557-4711 or email kawarthalakes@millerwaste.ca. 

Thank you for your commitment to the new Organics Program. With your help, we’re confident that we’ll be able to divert a significant amount of food and organic waste from our landfills. Everything you need to know about the Program can be found on the Organics Program page on our website.

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