A household compost program, introduced in Summerland in the spring of 2024, has resulted in less waste at the community鈥檚 landfill.

In his report to council on Oct. 15, Graham Statt, chief administrative officer for the municipality, said an estimated 230 tonnes of food scraps have been diverted from garbage and into composting from April to August.

This represents a drop of more than 30 per cent in the amount of garbage Summerland residents are putting out to the curb, he said. 

The program also has a financial benefit, he said. He estimates that the savings have been greater than $15,000 in the five-month period from April to August, with the potential offset of more than 400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

While the program has been running well, Statt said some of the items in the green bins should not be there.

Compostable plastics are not allowed to be composted in British Columbia. This includes plastic bags marked as compostable.

Disposable cups and food containers should also be kept out of the green bins.

Statt said those food containers are often coated with materials not suitable for composting.

Lumber and treated wood cannot be put into the yard waste bin. Instead, those materials should be disposed of at the landfill.

The composting program began April 1. It was implemented to divert organics from the landfill.

When the program was introduced, Statt said up to 30 per cent of Summerland鈥檚 garbage was organics, which could now be placed in the green bins instead of garbage.

More than two-thirds of British Columbians have access to residential food waste collection programs.