Appendix 2: Overseas Kerbside Kitchen Waste Collections

(a) Australia

Australian Capital Territory Government [Personal communication, Joss Haiblan (ACT Government) 28 January 2005; see also Australian Capital Territory Government, 2001.]

In August 2000 the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government began a 10-month household organic material collection trial for approximately 1000 households. Collection was weekly. The suburb of Chifley was chosen because it had the closest-to-average demographics in terms of household numbers, age and income distribution, etc. Participation was initially high at 90% but declined throughout the trial.

Householders were provided with a five-litre kitchen bin and an 85-litre kerbside MGB. No bin liners were used. Kitchen scraps and green waste were accepted for collection. It was recommended that householders wrap their kitchen scraps in newspaper and line their kerbside bins with leaves or twigs.

Contamination was low in the first five months (1.3%) but increased over the remaining months of the trial. The average rate of contamination was 9.2%.

A permanent organics collection system was rejected after the trial on the basis that the recovery rate of organics from household waste (60%) could not justify the expense of more refuse collection trucks at the time. As an alternative to source separation of waste, the ACT government is investigating an advanced material recovery facility with mechanical separation of a mixed waste stream.

Lismore City, New South Wales [Personal communication, Phil Klepzig (Acting Solid Waste Manager, Lismore City Council) 16 February 2005; see also Lismore City Council, http://www.liscity.nsw.gov.au (accessed 16 February 2005).]

Lismore City has been operating a weekly kerbside collection for mixed organics for over five years. It covers the metropolitan area only, which includes around 10,400 homes and 1300 businesses. Residual waste is collected fortnightly and currently there is no provision for recyclables collection.

The householders need to provide their own kitchen bin, and the council provides a 120-litre kerbside bin for the mixed organics. Kitchen waste is wrapped in newspaper prior to placement in the kerbside bin. Food scraps, paper, cardboard and light green waste are collected, whereas nappies and animal waste are not.

The organics are taken to a vermiculture composting facility, where they are shredded and pre-composted prior to being fed to the worms. This facility will be the largest in the southern hemisphere when it reaches full capacity. Using worms to compost organic waste has helped to keep contamination rates low (around 1.4% by weight) because residents remember that "worms can't eat plastic".

The participation rate in the scheme is around 90%. There have been instances of continual contamination in some low socio-economic areas characterised by transient populations. After various attempts at education (rejection stickers on bins, personalised letters, rewards schemes, etc) the collection service was withdrawn in these areas.

(b) City of Toronto, Ontario [City of Toronto, http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/greenbin/index.htm (accessed 15 February 2005).]

In response to a 300% increase in landfill fees, the City of Toronto implemented a weekly kerbside collection for organics. This is supported by fortnightly collections of commingled recyclables and residual waste, and seasonal collection of green waste. The collection does not include multi-tenanted buildings at present, and pilot projects are under way to assess the best system for these dwellings.

Residents are provided with a kitchen bin (19 cm in height) and a kerbside MGB (67 cm in height). The kerbside bin has a tight-fitting latch in order to deter dogs and racoons. The organics collection includes kitchen waste, household plants, nappies, sanitary products and animal waste. The collected material is processed in a two-step composting facility. The material is sterilised by anaerobic digestion and then composted. Biogas is a by-product of the digestion process.

The City of Toronto provides the option of lining the kitchen bin with a plastic shopping bag for hygiene purposes, and also because it prevents the material freezing to the interior of the kerbside bin in winter. It is recommended that the bag is twisted or loosely tied closed so that the manual separation at the treatment plant is easier.

A waste survey was undertaken in 2003 to gather data on participation rates and waste composition (City of Toronto Policy and Planning Group, 2004: v-v1, 48). The survey found:

participation in the "green bin" collection service was high, at 89% of households
the average recovery rate of organic waste was 72.19%
materials in the kerbside organic bin comprised 96.3% (by weight) solicited organic materials, 2.41% film plastic (including bin liners and contaminants) and 1.29% other contaminants
a significant quantity of film plastic was present as a contaminant (ie, other than film plastic used as a bin liner), and the study recommended introducing programmes to reduce this source of contamination
the residual waste comprised 30.36% (by weight) organics.

(c) City of Hutchinson, Minnesota [City of Hutchinson, http://www.ci.hutchinson.mn.us/pdf/organiccompostprog.pdf (PDF 186KB) (accessed 22 February 2005).]

Hutchinson has a voluntary citywide kerbside collection operation for kitchen waste and green waste. The council provides residents with two biodegradable bags per week for kitchen waste and an MGB.

Residents may choose between a 30-, 60- or 90-gallon MGB. They are provided with the incentive of a reduced monthly refuse bill by down-sizing. Residents also have the option of purchasing more biodegradable bags or using paper grocery bags if they need more than their allocation.

The collection frequency of the organic waste is weekly in the summer months and fortnightly in winter to take account of seasonal variations in temperature and therefore the difference in odour generation potential throughout the year. Information relating to contamination and participation rates was unable to be provided.

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