By Corey Fischer

RDNO Looks At Ways To Trim Trash

Apr 12, 2018 | 6:29 PM

The Regional District of North Okanagan had a good response to its first multi service open house this week.

The event at the Vernon Library Wednesday to get feedback on various RDNO initiatives attracted 180 people.

“This was the first time we held a multi-service event like this, so we were pleasantly surprised with the result,”says Mike Fox, General Manager of Community Services. “It was nice to see residents come to have meaningful conversations with us in regards to our services, and we hope to continue hosting events like this in the future to engage the community in shaping the region.”

The Solid Waste Management Plan Update looks at ways to reduce the amount of waste going into the landfills.

Dale Danallanko, RDNO’s Manager of RDF Operations, told city council, they’ve got a ways to go to meet the provincial goal for solid waste disposal of 350 kilograms per person — per year.

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“In the RDNO as a whole, about 80,000 people in this region, we dispose of 500 to 510 kilograms per person per year on a region wide basis.”

Danallanko says 30 percent of what’s currently going into the landfills could be composted or recycled.

“We still see a lot of paper, plastic, metal, glass, miscellaneous building materials, electronics. A lot of that material could be divertible.”

Danallanko says options include banning commercial food waste from landfills , and starting a curbside composting program.

Another idea is to use a clear bag program for garbage.

“People can pretty much hide whatever they want in their black plastic garbage bag. There might some more accountability if you considered a clear bag program for garbage. People may be less apt to put their recyclables or their yard waste in a clear bag,” Danallanko told city council.

Opportunities are still available to provide feedback on the draft Solid Waste Management Plan update through an online survey at www.rdno.ca/swsurvey.

The survey will be open until April 22nd.

Residents can also receive instant updates on important matters by subscribing to the RDNO email list at www.rdno.ca/subscribe.

RDNO photo

by Corey Fischer