Green carts roll out in Airdrie for organic materials

People living in Airdrie are getting green carts for their organic material, a curbside pick-up program that will start in April.

About 14,000 carts will be delivered to residents in the city north of Calgary over the next couple of weeks. Residents are getting charged about $5.26 each month on their utility bill this year for the service.

This initiative with regards to organics is a great step forward, said Mayor Peter Brown.

Brown says some residents are opposed to the program, but he's asking skeptics to give it a try.

I understand there were a few concerns. We really would like to get you to try the project out and I'm certain you'll find it not only beneficial for you as a family or as an individual, but also greatly beneficial to our community and how much waste we've put out into the environment.

The organic material will be shipped to Strathmore for processing. Airdrie officials estimate the cost of disposing of organics is half the cost of garbage disposal.

Airdrie doesnt offer residents curbside pick-up of recycling materials, although the city has recycling depots.

The City of Calgary tested a similar organics system in the Calgary neighbourhoods of Brentwood, Abbeydale, Cougar Ridge and Southwood.