The Ontario government’s recent suggestion that municipalities allow compostable coffee pods into their green bin programs is leading to objections from environmental and industry groups — and shining a light on unresolved issues in the province’s waste system.
Last week, the Ontario environment ministry laid out plans to amend its food and organic waste policy statement, explaining that the goal is to “clarify and expand” the items that municipalities should accept in their green bins.
The province gave just one specific example of a new item in its release: coffee pods that are “certified compostable,” meaning they have been lab tested and proven to break down within three months.
That caught the attention of the Ontario Waste Management Association, whose members handle 85 per cent of the province’s garbage, recycling and compost.
The issue, according to association CEO Mike Chopowick, is that municipal compost facilities simply aren’t able to process the pods at…
