Weeks late, but it has arrived

There it was, glittering in the June sunlight, sitting quietly outside my front door, waiting for a warm welcome to its new home.

Finally, my green bin.

In the last week, I was losing hope that I was getting a green bin from the City of Ottawa. The letter from the city that stated I could order a green bin seemed like almost like a dream. And the email that arrived in my inbox stating I would be receiving a green bin in four weeks almost seemed like a farce. It was a farce. I should have known that you have to double any time allotment the city gives provides you.

But there it was, in all its green bin glory. A 47-litre green bin, waiting to be filled with organic waste.

Looking around the neighbourhood, I saw other green bins. I’m glad to know that I’m not alone in embracing the program, but I’m a bit disappointed that my immediate neighbours haven’t jumped on board. Really, if your tax dollars are paying for this program, you might as well use it.
I immediately grabbed my camera to document the moment. Yes, I may sound over dramatic, but I’ve been waiting for this moment for nearly three years now. I remember during my childless years when I was working for a community newspaper in the city where I wrote a column, praising the green bin program. I didn’t get a good response, as one reader thought it was ridiculous that people couldn’t use compost bins instead of the city rolling out an organics program. (Sorry dear reader, but not everyone can use a compost bin).

Unfortunately for the green bin, I had nothing for its inaugural deposit of organic waste. By late yesterday afternoon, all that was in the small organics bin is a plum pit, an old slice of pizza and a banana peel. Fortunately for the green bin, we eat a lot of fruits and veggies, including watermelon which creates a lot of organic waste.

The first pick up of my green bin is Wednesday. I’ll be excited when I see the garbage truck roll by my curb this week.