The City of Nelson is enacting a bylaw to address some ownership issues related to the FoodCycler units, which will soon be shipped to many homes in the city.
According to the statute, the devices remain the property of the city. This rule is to prevent people from moving and taking the device with them. The devices are tied to the property, not to the homeowner.
The bylaws also require homeowners to keep the device in working order, pay the electricity costs associated with running it, notify the city if it needs repairs, and not abuse it.
FoodCycler machines shred and dewater kitchen waste, reducing its volume and weight by about 90 percent, resulting in a nearly odorless residue that can be disposed of in a garden or compost bin, or in a neighborhood bin for pickup by garbage disposal teams.
A free FoodCycler will be made available to 1,600 households as the first phase of a pilot project that could be citywide if successful. This group of households includes the Fairview area where Friday’s garbage collection takes place and about 600 households in other parts of the city that signed up as early adopters when the program was first announced.
The total cost of purchasing 1,600 devices and maintaining the program is $1,061,440.
The council received $682,720 in grants for the program and the remaining $378,720 is from city funds held in reserve for recycling and/or equipment.
The program is unique in the country and the city sees it as a cornerstone of its efforts to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by not transporting “wet waste” to the new composting facility near Salmo.
Carmen Proctor, the city’s climate and energy manager, told the city council on April 11 that deliveries of the equipment would begin “within the next month or two.”
CONTINUE READING:
• Nelson will launch a pilot project to treat kitchen waste in the spring
• Nelson will use unique technology to reduce composting costs
• Nelson’s organic waste program to be piloted at Fairview
• Nelson will use unique technology to reduce composting costs
bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com
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