The most significant change being made is the implementation of the weekly GreenCart collection program. The GreenCart will collect kitchen food waste (fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, pasta, fats and oils) and compostable paper (coffee filters, flour bags, paper coffee cups) creating valuable compost material that can be used in landscaping, agriculture and restoration projects. Currently, 45 per cent of the average garbage bag in Halton contains leftover food and compostable paper that can be turned into compost and be diverted from our landfill site.

It is up to you whether you line your GreenCart and Kitchen Catcher (small container to collect organic waste in your kitchen). If you decide to use a liner you can use newspaper/flyers, cardboard, yard waste bags, paper food waste bags and certified compostable bags. Choose what is most convenient to you; however, regular plastic bags are not accepted (for example, regular plastic shopping bags). By excluding regular plastics, the composting facility will be supplied with a cleaner material resulting in a higher quality final compost product. For a list of paper bags and certified compostable bags accepted in the GreenCart program visit www.halton.ca.

Details about the waste collection changes including your specific collection days and information about the GreenCart program can all be found in the new Waste Management Guide and Collection Calendar which was mailed to residents at the end of March. I encourage you to review the calendar as it contains a lot of valuable information about the collection changes. You can also visit Halton's website at www.halton.ca to use the Search by Address tool-- simply type your address in and the collection calendar for your area will appear.

To find out more information on the waste collection changes including the GreenCart program contact Halton Region at 905-825-6000, toll-free 1-866-4HALTON (1-866-442-5866) or visit www.halton.ca.

--Gary Carr is the chair of Halton Region