Ottawa should commit to composting its garbage after a decade of debate, says the city's planning and environment committee.

The committee passed a motion Tuesday pushing council to start a city-wide composting program by the fall of 2008 to follow up on the pilot test it started in 2001.

'We haven't had indications that the public has been willing to buy into the program.'— Coun. Gord Hunter

The motion was initiated by Coun. Diane Holmes and fiercely opposed by Coun. Gord Hunter.

Holmes said it's time to commit, and that should be reflected in the next staff report on the topic.

"They won't be coming back for another discussion of, 'Should we do it?'…Staff will be coming back with details on how to do it."

Hunter, who said he has opposed the plan for 10 years, was the only committee member who voted against the idea.

"We've given a lot of consideration to it in the past and we've rejected it on issues of cost, on issues of odour, and basically that we haven't had indications that the public has been willing to buy into the program," Hunter said, adding that those problems have not yet been dealt with.

Holmes said despite the committee's motion, city council still needs to approve the project before it can get underway.

In addition to the pilot test, the city has made a number of small steps toward composting, including changing its garbage collections contracts in 2006 to make way for composting, as well as setting aside $27 million for a program.