For many park users, finding a simple garbage can to get rid of their trash is usually a good enough step for the environment, but it might not be in Port Moody parks for long.

City council has asked staff to look into ways Port Moody could divert paper products and compost material at city parks away from the landfill.

Coun. Rick Glumac brought the motion forward during a discussion about the possibility of bringing food carts from Vancouver to Rocky Point Park.

He said he's always had concerns about seeing paper products being tossed into the garbage at public facilities, and the food-cart plan provides a good opportunity to discuss the issue further.

Glumac said he'd like to see dedicated garbage cans in city parks for paper and compost material.

"To allow people in the park to put their paper products and things in there, and for us to send that away to be diverted from the landfill," he said.

"Whenever we're contributing something to the landfill that shouldn't be going there, that's a problem."

Glumac noted the success of a Metro Vancouver pilot project at Swangard Stadium that saw waste-diversion rates at the Burnaby facility climb to 70 per cent from 10 per cent in just a week.

"Since we have so many visitors to the park, our volume of waste can be quite substantial, especially when food vendors are present," he said.

Glumac's motion had support from his fellow city councillors.

Coun. Diana Dilworth, a member of the city's economic development committee who's pitching the food cart idea, said getting rid of garbage has always been a problem, whether it be from restaurants, picnics or food carts.

She pointed out some parks have large containers that sort waste and recycling and she argued there is no reason why Port Moody couldn't look at using similar containers.

jdeutsch@thenownews.com