The City of Montreal recently announced that is is embarking on a pilot project with 22 local elementary and secondary schools in which organics will be collected for composting. The pilot is part of the City’s efforts to be a zero waste community by 2020.

Pickup of compostable food waste will be phased in over the next year at participating schools. Compost collection will be expanded to all of the city’s more than 700 schools starting in 2025.

Recently, Montreal’s standing committee on water and the environment kicked off public consultations on the zero-waste policy. It calls for a 70-per-cent reduction in the waste that ends up in landfill by 2025 and an 85-per-cent reduction by 2030.

The city wants to decrease the amount of organic waste and recyclable materials Montrealers discard by 10 per cent by 2025 and by 20 per cent by 2030.

The compost will be collected from the schools on the same day it is picked up from homes in the neighbourhoods where the schools are located.

Public consultations on the zero waste plan will be held over four days between Jan. 9 and 16. Citizens or organizations who would like to express their views must register by next Wednesday, either online or by calling 514-872-3000. Written briefs may be submitted until Dec. 20 at [email protected]