The City of Kimberley will launch its curbside organics collection program on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with organics collection carts and kitchen bins to be delivered starting this week along with information about the program.

The City said this marks a “crucial step” in their pursuit to make Kimberley a cleaner and greener community, as the program will have numerous environmental benefits including reducing GHG emissions and extending the life of the landfill by diverting around 767 tonnes of organic material each year, while recovering Class A compost.

Residents can expect some of the following changes:

• Weekly Organics Collection: Residents can now dispose of their organic waste on a weekly basis until November 2023. Bi-weekly collection will take place between November and March and weekly collection will resume in Spring 2024.
• Bi-Weekly Garbage and Recycling Collection: As part of the enhanced waste management strategy, garbage collection will be adjusted to a bi-weekly schedule. Recycling collection will continue bi-weekly.
• Consolidated Waste Collection: Residents that previously received Friday waste collection have been merged into the Tuesday to Thursday waste collection schedule. This streamlined approach is designed to improve efficiency while keeping costs down.
• Find Your New Waste Collection Route and Schedule: To help residents seamlessly transition to the new waste collection schedule, we have provided updated Waste Collection Routes and Schedules for the remainder of 2023 (2024 schedules to follow). To find your route and access your personalized collection schedule, please visit https://bit.ly/47sVmBx. Paper schedules are also available inside your new organics collection cart. We encourage all residents to bookmark this link and refer to it regularly for the most up-to-date information.
• Bear-resistant carts will be available for a one-time fee of $239.00. Carts will only be issued to residents that have no other acceptable means of garbage/organics storage and on a case-by-case basis. These carts will be made available through the Operations Desk at City Hall. Email operations@kimberley.ca or call 250-427-9660 for information and to apply.

“This initiative is a testament to our community’s dedication to sustainability, and we greatly appreciate the cooperation and understanding of our residents as we implement these important changes,” the City said. “Together, we can make a positive impact on our environment and create a cleaner, healthier future for generations to come.”