Virtually no one in the Central Okanagan is willing to pay for a food waste curbside pick-up program if the cost exceeds $100 per household a year, local politicians will hear next week.聽
If the costs come in at more than that amount, support for the proposed initiative falls below eight per cent, a survey commissioned by the regional district says.聽
Currently, the estimated costs per household range from $66 to $90. At the lower end of that estimate, support for the program is said to be 50 per cent, while at the upper end support falls to 24 per cent.聽
Despite that financial reality, study authors claim there is strong support for the regional district to launch the curbside collection of organic material, and they recommend staff be directed to keep developing details of the program with a final decision to be made by next July.聽
鈥淩egion-wide, 73 per cent support having a curbside food waste collection program,鈥 based on a survey that is said to have been statistically accurate, reads part of a report going to regional directors next Thursday.聽
However, those responding to the survey also indicated a number of concerns about the proposed organics pick-up program. These included the likelihood of wildlife getting into containers containing food waste placed out on the street.聽
鈥淩esidents are most concerned about rats, followed by bears,鈥 the report states. 鈥淭wenty-four per cent had no concerns with wildlife related to a food waste program.鈥
There are also resident concerns with the planned switch to picking up garbage only every other week, instead of weekly, as is proposed to be the case if organics pick-up is introduced in the greater B次元官网网址 area.聽
In response, study authors say that as much as three-quarters of the material currently put in garbage containers could be recycled or composted. And they say that in 85 per cent of the communities with food waste pick-up, garbage is only collected every second week.聽
Much remains unknown about the proposal to pick up organics at the curb. While 50 per cent of survey respondents say they would support the initiative if it cost $66 a year, study authors acknowledge 鈥渓ikely costs will be more than $66 per year鈥.聽
Collecting food waste and other organic material at the curb will reduce the amount of garbage going to the dump, officials say.聽
