The city is no longer getting $7.4 million from the provincial government to build a new facility to compost organic kitchen scraps and yard waste, said Coun. Dean Pappas.

The grant was expected from the cap and trade program that Premier Doug Ford's government has begun winding down.

"We were told today that the $7.4-million has been clawed back," Pappas said Monday.

Pappas said he heard the news at Monday afternoon's city-county waste management committee meeting. He said Wayne Jackson, the city's commissioner of infrastructure and planning, told the committee the money isn't coming.

Pappas said it's now unclear where that leaves the plans for the compost curbside pickup program.

He said now city staff may have to figure out ways to potentially fund the project, which was expected to cost $15 million in total.

"It's unfortunate the province won't be funding it — it's still a priority, as far as I'm concerned," Pappas said.

Jackson couldn't be reached for comment Monday.

Earlier this month, he told The Examiner that the city has signed an agreement with the provincial government and has received its first installment of grant money. But Pappas said that money will have to be repaid to the provincial government.

The city's new facility for composting kitchen organic scraps as well as yard waste was expected to go at the Bensfort County-City Landfill site.

It was supposed to cost about $15 million to build a new facility and also buy a fleet of trucks and green-waste bins for every house in Peterborough.

In addition to the provincial grant of $7.4 million, the city planned to use a combination of tax money and private investment to cover the rest of the cost.

A recent city staff report stated that the facility could be open by 2020 (whereupon curbside collection of kitchen organic waste was expected to begin).

Currently there's no pickup of organic waste in Peterborough for lack of a local facility.

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The city now composts at a municipally owned property on Harper Rd. Council's plan had been to continue composting yard waste on Harper Rd. until the new composting facility was to be ready in 2020.