By Steve Hubrecht
The District of Invermere is taking steps to set up a municipal composting program and wants input from the general public.
The idea of such a program has been discussed, off and on, by Invermere council for several years. But the plan is now gathering momentum and next week the district will launch a survey to gauge residents’ opinions on the program and how it ought to operate.
“It’s been on the agenda for a while now,” new Invermere planner Amy Fletcher told the Pioneer. “The idea is to divert food waste out of the landfill.” (See an upcoming issue of the Pioneer for a profile of Fletcher.)
The survey will be available online and in hard copy until July 19. Links to the online version will be posted on the District of Invermere website, and hard copies can be obtained at the district office downtown.
A key point that officials hope to glean from the survey is whether residents favour a series of several communal compost collection sites (such as exist in Canmore) or weekly curbside compost collection (similar to garbage pickup).
The program was also discussed during last week council’s meeting. Invermere director of public works and operations Angela MacLean explained that the compost collected — whether through communal collection sites or through curbside collection — will go to the new Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) composting facility being built in Athalmer, between the sewage lagoons and Ray Brydon Park. That facility is still under construction, but the pavement is poured, the mechanical and electrical systems are in place, and there are just a few outstanding pieces left to go, outlined MacLean, adding that “it should be operational in the fall.”
The Athalmer composting facility will not have finished compost available to the public, explained MacLean in response to a question from the gallery at the council meeting.
“I understand that they are looking at maybe using some of it for the top layer in the landfills,” added Invermere Mayor Al Miller.
Invermere corporate officer Kindry Luyendyk noted that curbside compost programs are “still fairly new in places that are in major wildlife corridors” and that the entire Columbia Valley, of course, is a wildlife corridor.
Another member of the audience said that, in her opinion, once-a-week curbside compost collection might not be frequent enough, precisely because Invermere is in a wildlife corridor.
“I don’t think that works,” she said. “It (compost) can be pretty stinky stuff. Some people won’t like to keep it in their home. And not everyone has a garage or shed to store it in. So they’ll leave it outside, even though they are not supposed to, and it will attract wildlife.”
Invermere councillor Gerry Taft felt that adding curbside composting collection in the district along with curbside garbage and recycling pickup would be impressive.
“Invermere is one of the only communities — maybe the only community — in the Columbia Valley to have curbside collection services. In Radium there is no curbside collection of anything. In all the (unincorporated) communities on the east side of the lake there is no curbside collection of anything,” he pointed out.