Courtenay residents will soon have a new curbside collection service for food waste.

Starting January, single-residential and duplex households may place food waste at the curb for composting along with their weekly yard waste through the City’s residential curbside collection service.

The new organics service will also introduce a 360-litre weekly limit for combined total volume of yard waste and food waste.

Should residents have an excess of 360 litres, they can drop off yard waste directly to the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre.

The new service will lower garbage volumes going to the centre in Cumberland, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

Collected organics materials will be delivered to the new Campbell River Waste Management Centre regional organics facility currently under construction and expected to be completed soon.

Mayor Bob Wells says the new program is an important step forward in supporting the environment and lowering long-term infrastructure costs.

It is estimated that organics make up around 30 percent of materials disposed of at the landfill.

Courtenay anticipates the program could divert an additional 1200 tonnes of organics out of the landfill annually, roughly the weight equivalent to 44 grey whales, and instead convert it to nutrient-rich compost for agricultural and landscaping uses.

For details, go to City of Courtenay