The Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority has collected 12,000 tonnes of food waste during the first year of the green bin collection program. Launched on October 21, 2025, the green bin is just like the blue and red box recycling programs for plastics and paper, only it involves food waste and organic material being collected and then sent to Seacliff Energy in Leamington to be converted into a liquid fertilizer. EWSWA Waste Diversion Manager Cathy Copot-Nepszy says they’re really pleased with the number. “We’ve tried to really communicate and keep it simple that essentially, we want your food waste and any kind of organic matter found inside your household. Residents are responding and doing a really good job of using it,” she says. Phase one of the green bin collection program operated in the communities of Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Tecumseh, and Windsor. Copot-Nepszy says the rollout really has been a great success. “Our tonnage right at the start in week one was 175 tonnes. We’re now at 245 tonnes, on average, per week, and that difference was a gradual growth throughout the year,” she says. The overall goal is to divert waste from the landfill at 7700 County Rd. 18 in Essex to extend its life span, as it’s due to reach capacity in 2040. Copot-Nepszy says they had over 120,000 households in phase one of the program. “What we will be looking to do now is geo-target and understand which areas are not participating and try to find strategies to onboard them into using more of the diversion programs, especially the green bin,” she says. Green bins are being delivered to homes across Amherstburg, Kingsville, and Leamington for phase 2 of the program with weekly collection set to begin the first week of November.
