Edmonton loves to divert garbage from the landfill.
This story ends up looking all timely and stuff because the City of Edmonton is announcing its newest waste facility today. (All that composting and bio-fuel stuff sounds neat.)
You may have heard about the provincial government’s One Simple Act campaign. Essentially, do one thing to try and help the environment survive a little longer.
One note about the campaign that caught our eye was regarding ISL Engineering. They were being applauded for composting.
That doesn’t sound like a big deal. Until you consider the City of Edmonton doesn’t pick up compost. And ISL wasn’t using a big name waste manager to haul their decaying lunchtime fruits and veggies, but a new Edmonton company. Now, you’ve got a company taking a big environmental step, and an entrepreneurial tale all in one.
Another way Edmontonians keep trash from the landfill, eco-stations.
I’ve never met Marcel Huculak in person, but I suspect he’s not one you’d usually find digging through dumpsters.
Earlier this year, he did just that with co-workers from ISL.
“We were trying to measure how much of our garbage we were diverting (from the landfill). So, you go and measure some of the bags,” he says over the phone.
They found the office of 160 employees (and visitors, guests, business meetings, etc…) was throwing out about as much compost-worthy material as plain garbage.
“We contacted the City last year, they didn’t have any big scale pick-up.”
So ISL Engineering went looking for someone who could cart away their compost if they started piling it up.
Enter Brent Hamilton of Inglis Environmental. Inglis has a contract with the City of Edmonton, in waste management of course. But seeing a gap in compost pick-up, he added that new dimension to Inglis.
“A couple of other businesses had attempted this in the past, so I was leery,” says Hamilton.
“I know enough about the city system, the whole composting, the way things work. It’s all based on residential. For any business, there just is no service.”
Aside from ISL, Hamilton’s company is picking up organic waste from three others.
“It’s a tough slog. They’re all different,” he says. “I’m thinking we will eventually be able to serve different bin sizes, figure out a better means of collection so it doesn’t matter what they’re using.”
Once Inglis picks up the compost materials, its taken to Brent’s day-job at the City.
He’s not too worried about being new to the scene. Or being up against private garbage powerhouse Waste Management.
“With the Clover Bar Landfill closing we may see landfill rates go up, garbage rates go up, and that’s way it should be – making things like separating out your organics more manageable.”
“Some people will [compost] based on ‘green’ consciousness,” he says. “The majority of people, it takes the economic incentive, hitting their pocketbook.”
Back at ISL, Marcel Huculak says they’ve already diverted enough organic waste from their garbage bins to go from a weekly pick-up to every second week.
“Right now, it’s probably cost neutral. What we save on garbage pick-up we pay for compost,” Huculak figures.
“It’s funny, the stigma (of composting). We have garbage cans in our board rooms, we want to put in compost bins. People say it smells, but you throw something in the garbage and it can smell.”
Huculak says composting has the office staff thinking about everything in a different way.
“You start looking at things like coffee stir sticks,” he says. ” “Buy a spoon, it will pay for itself later. Being green is an easy thing to do and there can be cost-benefits.”
That last part could probably get other businesses interested in their own One Simple Act.
