Now that winter has settled into the North Okanagan, the City is offering tips to help residents manage their organics carts for weekly collection in colder weather. If the contents of your cart are freezing to the inside or getting stuck, collectors may be unable to fully empty them, but solutions are available. Here are some ideas:
Reduce moisture:
- Strain excess liquid out of wet compostable material
- Wrap kitchen waste in newspaper, a paper bag or already soiled paper (such as paper towel) to absorb moisture
- Wrap and freeze material in your freezer and then place it in the organics cart immediately before collection so it can fall out easily
Create layers:
- Line your cart with dry materials such as a single piece of cardboard on the bottom or a paper bag
- Layer kitchen organics with yard waste (such as leaves or straw) and soiled paper or newspaper
Keep contents loose:
- Avoid overfilling the cart (the lid must close)
- Avoid pushing down or compacting materials in the cart
Place cart for collection success:
- Place carts at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day. Please do not place carts the night before, as they could become snow covered or buried.
- Confirm the lid can open and close freely on collection day and is not frozen shut
- Place cart wheels against the curb. If carts are backwards they cannot be collected.
- Ensure carts are placed 1m (an arm’s length) away from all other objects (including snow piles)
- After a snowfall, clear the lid of snow and clear a space to place your cart safely at the curb. Carts on top of snow piles cannot be collected.
If you find that material has frozen inside your cart, wait for warmer temperatures to thaw the material out. Try placing your cart in sunlight if possible and use a stick to loosen the stuck items. And remember to place your organics cart at the curb every week, even if it’s not full. This will also help prevent material from becoming too frozen to fall out.
To avoid snow and ice building up on the lid, you can keep your organics cart in a shed, garage or a sheltered area against an exterior wall of your house.
For more information on Vernon’s curbside organics collection program and a list of accepted compostable materials, visit www.vernon.ca/organics.
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