Cathy Dobson/Local Journalism Initiative

This time next year Sarnians will be getting used to a new curbside green bin program that will send their household compostables to be converted to fertilizer in London.

It’s expected that once city residents understand all that can be composted – and participate fully – the amount of garbage that Sarnia sends to landfill will be significantly reduced.

City staff and council have been talking about curbside composting for more than a decade and the final piece of the puzzle fell into place Monday.

A contract to pay IPL North America Inc. $1.45 million to manufacture about 25,000 120-litre curbside bins and seven-litre kitchen containers was approved by council.

And  – fun fact – the recyclable bins will be made at the company’s Quebec facility using resin from Imperial Oil in Sarnia.

The bins will be delivered in March and collection starts in April 2027. 

Sarnia will be the first municipality in Lambton County to implement a green bin program after the province set a 2025 deadline for larger municipalities. 

Sarnia is late to the party but the city’s engineering and operations general manager said that seeing the program implemented in other major urban centres like Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton, has given staff tips on how to do it best.

When Councillor Chrissy McRoberts, supported by Councillor George Vandenberg, suggested delaying the bin program in order to avoid the cost of it for one more year, she was reminded by Jackson that the city is already behind. 

Councillor Brian White noted that some cities in Canada have had green bin programs for decades.

And Councillor Terry Burrell pointed out that council has already approved the collection and processing contracts for the green bin program.

“We’re too far along in this process to delay it,” he said. 

McRoberts was outvoted 5-2.  Councillors Dave Boushy and Bill Dennis were absent.

The city has signed a new waste collection contract for 2027 that retains weekly garbage pick-up. In total, curbside collection, processing and a transfer site contract will cost Sarnians approximately $4 million a year for the next seven years.

While Marcotte Disposal will retain the garbage contract, London-based Convertus Canada will process the city’s compostables and make them into  farm fertilizer.

In January, council considered a staff recommendation to reduce garbage collection to twice a month in order to offset the cost of the green bin program.  But the majority of council said that would be too much of a service cut.

The new contracts add about $1.14 million a year to existing costs, which represents a property tax increase of about 1.25 per cent.

Mayor Mike Bradley noted Monday that the County of Lambton has agreed to provide the city an unspecified credit because the green bin program will send less garbage to the landfill.

Bins will be delivered to single family homes and residential properties with six or fewer units.  They come with a 10-year warranty but are expected to last longer.

WHAT CAN BE COMPOSTED?

• food scraps
• bones
• coffee grounds
• egg shells
• soiled paper towel
• tissues
• paper plates
• newspaper
• diapers
• sanitary products
• house plants
• animal waste, litter and bedding
• leaves
• twigs and small branches.