Owners, Operators, and Managers of Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (IC&I) Services in the RDCK

The RDCK Resource Recovery Department is requesting your participation in a survey.

Help us understand the current organic waste disposal practices in the IC&I Sector, as we develop services and systems to support participation in Organics Recycling.

With the investment of over $2 million in infrastructure to accept and process organic waste into compost, the RDCK is working towards reducing, and eventually eliminating the disposal of organic waste in our landfills. Organic waste diversion is a key goal of the RDCK due to environmental and operational necessities.

Organic Waste tipping fees are 35% lower than Mixed Waste ($96.75/tonne vs. $151/tonne). With a wide range of accepted materials, integrating organics recycling into your operations should be relatively cost effective and achievable.

There are currently four RDCK waste disposal facilities that accept separated organic waste for recycling:

• Grohman Narrows Transfer Station
• Ootischenia Landfill
• Central (Salmo) Transfer Station
• Creston Landfill

RDCK Compost Facilities are designed to accept both pre and post-consumer food wastes, including meat and small bones, dairy, solidified or absorbed oils and fats, soiled paper/cardboard, and 100% plant fiber food wares. All kitchen scraps are accepted. Both self-hauled and contractor hauled loads are accepted.

Your feedback and information is extremely valued in this process. Please take 5-10 minutes to help inform services, policies, and regulations regarding the disposal of organic waste in our region’s landfills. We value your feedback and are eager to engage with stakeholders on this topic.

To complete the survey, scroll down and find the link to the survey, or click here. You can also ask a questions for staff to answer (Questions and Answers), or get in touch directly.

Matt Morrison | Organics Coordinator
Environmental Services
Regional District of Central Kootenay
mattmorrison@rdck.bc.ca | organics@rdck.ca
Phone: 250.551.6647 | Fax: 250.352.9300

Additional Information:

In 2023, the RDCK completed a comprehensive waste composition study of our regional landfills. The results of this study are publicly available at LINK. IC&I garbage contained on average 35% compostable organic waste. The IC&I sector accounts for 48% of the waste disposed at RDCK landfills.

When organic waste is landfilled, it creates significant problems.

• It takes up finite space, impacting the capacity and lifespan of these costly sites
• It pollutes the environment by contributing to the generation of leachate (run-off from landfills)
• It creates greenhouse gasses
  1. When organic wastes rot in oxygen-poor environments (e.g. landfills), large amounts of methane are emitted
  2. Landfill-generated methane accounts for up to 23% of national methane emissions [1]. As a greenhouse gas, methane has a global warming potential more than 80 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period [2].

For back and front of house support with implementation, the RDCK is working to provide resources. As well, RDCK staff are available for direct consultations and information sharing for operations interested in making these changes.

Speak to you hauler and request pricing and service options for collections. Haulers are currently looking to understand demand for services, so reaching out directly will encourage provision of competitive pricing and diverse service models.

Thank you for your time and participation in guiding expanded organic waste diversion and recycling.