Sort’nGo Organics is Rolling up to West Coast curbs this November

ACRD Press Release

Residents in Tofino, Ucluelet and some surrounding West Coast communities will begin diverting organic waste away from the landfill later this fall.

Single family homes (residences with four units or less) will be provided with a new green organics collection cart that will be picked up weekly at the roadside, along with new (blue) recycling and (black) garbage carts that will be collected on alternating weeks beginning in November.

By diverting organics away from the West Coast Landfill, the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) can work to meet provincial goals for waste diversion, while reducing greenhouse gases and saving valuable space at the landfill.

“Right now, up to 43 per cent of the waste found at the landfill is actually organic material – not garbage,” says John Jack, Chair of the ACRD Board. “This new service will see food and yard waste collected at a separate facility where it can be transformed into compost that can be returned to the community.”

The Sort’nGo organics service is part of a larger upgrade to waste management for the West Coast that includes a transition to an automatic collection system. This means:

• Residents will receive default cart sizes at $200/year prior to launch – unless requests for larger capacity organics and/or garbage carts are submitted by February 15, 2022.
• An online information session about the service and what to expect will be hosted by the ACRD on February 10, from 12 pm – 1 pm. Pre-registration is required.

Details on cart request options and the info session registration link are available at: Letsconnectacrd.ca/sortngo-west-coast. Residents and property owners should watch their mail for more information in the coming days.

In 2020, the ACRD received a $6M grant provided through the Federal Gas Tax Fund to introduce organics collection within the regional district. The Sort’nGo service was launched in Port Alberni in September 2021, with public consultation happening now for Alberni Valley electoral areas, Bamfield and surrounding First Nations communities.