Composting is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of organic waste. While encouraged throughout Ontario, only a quarter of homeowners living in high-rise units compost their organic waste.
Ontario has proposed changes to increase composting throughout the province. An initiative was proposed to change building code requirements of high-rises to include spaces for green bin disposal mechanisms in addition to garbage and recycling.
When you look for a condominium, you are usually checking to make sure that the amenities that are important to you are present in the building. For clarification, have a real estate lawyer experienced with condominium transactions go over your agreement, so you know what comes with your building.
Why Aren‘t Residents In High-Rises Already Composting?
According to an article posted on CBC.ca, one of the major reasons people in condominiums and apartment buildings aren’t already composting in larger numbers is based on two factors:
- The infrastructure isn’t there
- It’s generally not promoted or encouraged as much as recycling and other waste management programs within the building
The Dangers Of Organic Waste In Landfills
The dangers of throwing organic waste out with the rest of the garbage are that it ends up in a landfill. This takes up needed space within waste disposal sites. Also, organics thrown in the trash create methane gas – a greenhouse gas which can cause the Earth’s temperature to rise.
The New Initiative
The initiative comes from Ontario’s Food and Organic Waste Framework. The long-term goal of the framework is to eventually ban any food or organic waste from heading to a landfill.
The purpose is to encourage multi-residential buildings, like condos, to compost instead of throwing out their organic waste with regular garbage.
