Côte Saint-Luc wins award for organic waste collection program

The environmental group CRE-Montréal yesterday honoured the City of Côte Saint-Luc with an award for its organic waste collection program at the third annual Gala de reconnaissance en environnement et développement durable de Montréal held at the Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal. “We are happy to be honoured for leading the island in the collection of organic waste,” Mayor Anthony Housefather said. “We are committed to becoming an environmentally responsible city and our city has a lot for which to proud.”

The awards highlight the innovative projects of businesses and organizations on the island of Montreal that combine economic development and protection of the environment. Côte Saint-Luc won its award in the category of public organizations. Other winners included the Eaton Centre, the SAQ, and Cégep Saint-Laurent. The full list of winners is available at www.cremtl.qc.ca/gala.

The awards are organized by the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal (CRE-Montréal), the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal (CRÉ de Montréal) and the City of Montreal. “Our organic waste collection program was made possible because of the vision of our mayor and councillors, our dedicated staff and the many volunteers who helped inform and educate their neighbours,” said Councillor Dida Berku, the council member responsible for the environment. “In particular, I want to congratulate my colleague Councillor Steven Erdelyi for all the work he did to make this program a reality in Côte Saint-Luc.”

Côte Saint-Luc launched an organic waste collection pilot project in 500 single-family homes in September 2007. The city expanded the program to all its 4,800 single-family homes and duplexes in October 2008. “Because we pioneered organic waste collection in Quebec, we studied carefully the programs of cities in Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, the United States, Europe and Australia,” Councillor Erdelyi said. “The experience of the Côte Saint-Luc is that organic waste collection is relatively easy to start, less costly than many believe thanks to Quebec government funding, and popular with residents.”

Organic waste includes food and garden waste. Residents in 4,800 single-family homes and duplexes put their organic waste into a covered brown bin supplied by the city. Côte Saint-Luc transports the organic waste to a composting facility in Montreal East, which run by the company EBI. The waste is transformed into nutrient-rich compost. By comparison, when organic waste is sent to a landfill (garbage) site, it decomposes and releases methane, which is about 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. About 38 percent of Canada’s total methane emissions come from landfill sites.

Residents can visit ecoCSL.org or call 514-485-6868 for more information.