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Instituting Organic Collection at Long-Term Care Facilities

Learn how Region of Peel initiated an organic waste program in long-term care facilities, improving waste diversion and sustainability efforts. Discover the challenges faced and the strategies employed for successful implementation.

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Instituting Organic Collection at Long-Term Care Facilities

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  1. Instituting Organic Collection at Long-Term Care Facilities Angela Baggetta, Region of Peel May 30, 2019

  2. Region of Peel • Includes the Cities of Brampton and Mississauga and Town of Caledon. • Population of 1.4 million. • Second largest municipality in Ontario, after Toronto.

  3. Current Waste System • Collects, processes and disposes of residential waste within the local municipalities. • Also provides service to small businesses, municipal and Regional facilities, Schools and Places of Worship.

  4. Background • In 2018, implemented a food and organic waste collection program at the Region’s five Long-Term Care facilities. • Main drivers for the program included: • 2015-2018 Term of Council Priority to increase waste diversion at Regional facilities; and • The Region’s long-term waste target of 75% diversion by 2034.

  5. Background cont’d • Region operates five Long-Term Care facilities, with a total of 703 beds. • Two in Brampton, two in Mississauga and one in Caledon. • The Long-Term Care facilities were already receiving Regional garbage and recycling collection services. • Expressed concern with the amount of incontinence waste generated. • Also a large amount of food waste.

  6. Preliminary Work • Toured each facility to gain an understanding of daily operations. • Waste generation and disposal at each facility. • How waste was managed (chutes, staff duties – nursing, dietary, admin). • Consulted with staff to discuss barriers to participation: • Collection frequency • Additional waste containers • Compostable bags

  7. Preliminary Waste Audit

  8. Collection and Processing • Incontinence waste is not acceptable in the Region’s organic program. • City of Toronto Anaerobic Digestion Facility. • Use regular garbage (plastic) bags for organics, instead of purchasing compostable bags. • Front-end collection contract. • Same service for garbage and recycling.

  9. Waste Containers • Extrapolated waste audit and garbage tonnage data to determine how many front-end organic bins each facility required. • Where feasible, converted existing garbage bins to organics. Also re-purposed bins purchased for a multi-residential organics pilot. • Nursing staff utilized existing mobile carts. • Dietary staff were provided with kitchen containers.

  10. Communications • Based on waste audit results and facility tours, specific communication pieces were developed for staff.

  11. Communications cont’d

  12. Training Staff • There was little change made to daily staff operations. • Nursing staff already collected incontinence waste. • Organics containers in the kitchens and serveries. *Empty liquids • No impact to residents. • Long-Term Care Supervisors took the lead in training, as each facility operates and manages waste differently.

  13. Program Roll-Out • In July 2018, the program was rolled out to two of the facilities to identify any issues. • Lessons learned: • Increase number and size of organic front-end bins. • Do not use chutes for food waste; splatter and spillages. • In the kitchens and serveries, drain liquid waste prior to final disposal. • By November 2018, the program was rolled out to all five facilities.

  14. Performance Metrics • Weekly garbage, recycling and organic tonnage collected through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. • RFID tags are installed on all waste containers. • Data is not punitive. • Share with Long-Term Care staff on a monthly basis. • Waste audits for all three streams. • Completed both pre- and post-implementation. • Audits are completed by a third party contractor.

  15. RFID Data Example

  16. Diversion Rates

  17. Garbage Audit: Post-Implementation (Feb 2019) • Incontinence – 43% • Food Waste & Tissues – 27% • 70% organic material still available for capture.

  18. Organic Audit: Post-Implementation (Feb 2019) • Organic stream is clean, not contaminated. • Recyclable materials include plastic bags.

  19. Today’s Challenges • Some organic waste is still ending up in the garbage stream. • Incontinence products • New process, frequent staff turnover • Lack of space for additional front-end bins. • Only facilities receiving front end organics collection • Once per week collection

  20. Conclusion • Ideal locations to implement an organics program. • Lessons learned for future expansion into other Regional facilities. • ~30 tonnes per month. Not a significant impact to the Region’s diversion rate. • Anaerobic Digestion is key – incontinence products and use of regular plastic bags for disposal. • Clear communication pieces for staff, understand the importance of the program.

  21. Thank you!Contact info:Region of PeelAngela Baggetta905-791-7800 ext. 4499angela.baggetta@peelregion.ca

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