Greening Orillia’s apartments and condominiums

Apartments and condominiums in the City of Orillia have successfully gone green.

On Sept. 1, 2013, all 48 apartments and condominiums on the City’s garbage bin service were required to offer green bin collection to their tenants if they wanted to maintain City garbage collection. At the beginning of the apartment program, the setout rate of green bins was approximately 45 per cent based on setout data provided by Mid Ontario Disposal. This rate has since increased to 60 per cent.

As of Jan. 1, 2014, residents of Orillia can include cooked meat and dairy products in their green bin, which will continue to improve the City’s overall diversion rate if residents participate in the program.

“I’d like to commend apartment and condominium tenants and landlords for embracing the City of Orillia’s green bin program,” said Mayor Angelo Orsi. “There is certainly room for improvement, but together we can continue to divert more from landfill and remain a provincial leader in waste diversion.”

Before the program launch in September, property managers were provided kitchen containers for their tenants, green bin carts for central collection in the building, along with instructional guides, flyers and posters on the program.

“It is important that apartment and condominium tenants are able to divert their food scraps using the green bin program like residents at single-family dwellings and townhouses,” said Greg Preston, the City’s Manager of Waste Management. “This program provides tenants that option and we’re happy to see them taking part.”

The weekly setout rate of green bins at apartments and condominiums using City collection services continues to rise and the quantity of garbage collected from these buildings is not increasing at the same rate as before the green bin program was implemented. City staff are currently working with landlords not using the City’s garbage bin service, but who are interested in establishing green bin collection at their buildings. Apartment and condominium landlords interested in participating in the City’s green bin program can contact Gary Barnes, Co-ordinator of the Waste Diversion Site, at 705-325-2325.

The City of Orillia is a city of 30,586 people in the heart of Central Ontario on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Visit our website at orillia.ca.

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Greg Preston
Manager of Waste Management
City of Orillia
705-325-2444
gpreston@orillia.ca

Jennifer Ruff
Manager of Communications
City of Orillia
705-325-8929
705-238-9209 (cell)
jruff@orillia.ca