Metro Vancouver Logo
 
Metro Vancouver
 
Home Email page Print Share this page Increase text size Decrease text size
 
 
Food Scraps Recycling Demonstration Project 

Food Cycle

Your food scraps and yard trimmings will be picked up and composted. That high-quality compost will then be sold to landscapers and farmers. Who knows? It could come back to your table the next time you buy carrots.

Frequently Asked Questions
Who is participating?
Metro Vancouver, Delta, Coquitlam, West Vancouver and Langley Township are partnering in this food recycling demonstration program. This program will run from October 2009 to March 2010 and includes four pre-selected neighbourhoods – approximately 2800 households. Results from the demonstration program, including feedback from residents, will be used to create a regional collection program available to municipalities who choose to participate. 
What happens next?
Just like your blue box, yard trimmings and food scraps are valuable resources—they are used to make compost. If you live in one of the pre-selected neighbourhoods, you can now put leftovers or spoiled food into your yard waste bin. This includes everything from lettuce, oranges, peels, dairy products, meat, fish, bones and even soiled napkins, paper towels and pizza boxes.

After your municipality picks up the contents of your bin, it goes to a regional composting facility where high-quality compost is made and sold to local landscapers and farmers.

We can do our part to protect the environment and create new products and jobs right here in our region.
Why are we doing this?
Through public consultation in the region in 2009, residents confirmed and supported Metro Vancouver’s target of achieving 70 per cent waste diversion by 2015. This goal is part of Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Challenge. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of organic materials can be kept out of landfills each year if these materials are composted.

 The Project
How will the demonstration program be evaluated?

The project will be evaluated based on cost, the amount of garbage diverted, how easy the program was for residents to use and for municipalities to operate. Participation rates and participants’ impressions will also be evaluated

Your input is an important part of the evaluation process. Participants will be invited to complete three surveys over the course of the project – one just after the start, one half-way through, and one once the demonstration program wraps up.

Reports will be prepared and presented to the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors and Municipal Councils at the middle and end of the pilot project.

What happens to the materials collected?
The food scraps and yard trimmings collected are taken to the Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre composting facility in Richmond for processing into compost and soil products.
Gardeners, landscapers and farmers use this product to improve soil and aid plant growth.
What is the food scraps recycling demonstration program?
This program is testing how we can collect food scraps and other compostable materials from residents, so these materials can be turned into compost instead of being disposed in landfills. 
About 2800 households across the region will be participating in this demonstration program.  Metro Vancouver is partnering with the City of Coquitlam, District of West Vancouver, Corporation of Delta and Township of Langley.
Once the demonstration program is complete, we will use the results to determine what worked best, and how the program can be offered to residents across the Lower Mainland.
Why is this project important?
Composting, or food recycling, closes the loop, returning precious nutrients to the soil to grow strong and delicious plants and vegetables. Although home composting is the best way to recycle organic materials, certain items such as meat and dairy are difficult to safely compost at home.  Curbside collection can keep these items out of the landfill and allow those who don’t have space to compost to participate in this important program.  
Food scraps and other compostable materials make up nearly half of the garbage thrown away in our region.  Participating in this program will reduce the amount of garbage we landfill and reduce greenhouse gases. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is created as food breaks down in the landfill. Trucking waste to landfills generates carbon dioxide.

 Getting Started
Can I use plastic bags to line my kitchen container or my yard waste bin?
Plastic or biodegradable plastic bags are not allowed in the food scraps recycling bin; the composting facility does not accept them. These bags contaminate and interrupt the composting process, resulting in lower quality compost.
Do I need to use a liner with my kitchen container?
You don’t need to line your bin or kitchen container, but using a liner will reduce the effort needed to keep the container clean and odour free.. If you choose to make or use a liner you can use paper—not  plastic--if you wish. Newspaper, paper bags and paper towels are acceptable to use. Please do not use plastic , not even compostable plastic products, as the composting facility doesn’t accept them. 
How will the food scraps recycling program work?

Food scraps that are normally thrown in the garbage will be collected in the yard trimmings bin instead.  This includes vegetable and fruit peels, cooked food scraps, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, baked goods and food-soiled paper. See list of acceptable and not acceptable materials below. 

Separate food scraps in your kitchen, and place them in your yard trimming bin for collection. The yard trimmings bin (which now contains food scraps) will continue to be collected on the days designated in your area.

If I want to use them, where can I buy paper bags for lining my kitchen container?

A number of local hardware and grocery stores sell small paper bags designed to line kitchen compost containers. Bags are normally sold for about $5 - $6 for a package of 10 bags.

Your yard waste bin can be lined with large kraft paper yard waste bags which are available at many local hardware and grocery stores.

What can I put into my yard waste bin during the food scraps recycling pilot program?
Yard waste such as leaves, grass clippings, plant clippings, brush and small branches.
Food waste and other household compostable materials such as fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, and baked goods.
Soiled paper products such as used paper towels, paper plates, paper cups and napkins, food contaminated paper product, and wax coated cardboard.
See below for a list of acceptable and unacceptable materials.
What can I use as a kitchen container?
To store your food scraps in the kitchen you can reuse a large yogurt container, ice cream bucket, jug, or any container you have handy.  Since you’ll be emptying it in your yard trimmings bin on a regular basis, just make sure it’s something you can easily carry outside. 
Clean your kitchen container and yard waste bin as neccessary to prevent odours, fruit flies and leakage.
What do I do with the decals in my information package?

Put the small sticker on your kitchen container to help you remember what food scraps to recycle.  Put the large sticker on your outdoor yard trimmings bin; it should cover your existing ‘yard trimmings’ sticker. When you set your yard bin out on the curb make sure the sticker faces the street so collection truck drivers can see it.

If you did not receive a decal, you can pick them up at your city hall.

When is my pick-up day?
Check your municipalities pick-up days.
When will the food scraps recycling program start?
The demonstration program will begin on the week of Monday October 5, 2009 and run until the end of March 2010.  Your first food scraps recycling pick-up will be on your yard trimmings pick-up day of that week.
Who should I contact if my organics pick-up was missed?
Please call your city’s Engineering Department at the number listed below to report a missed pick-up.
Coquitlam collection issues: 604-529-4011
Delta: 604-946-3260
West Vancouver: 604-925-7176
Langley: 604-530-3939

 List of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials
Accepted
Bread, toast, cereal, baked goods & pizza
Cake, cookies, pie, muffins & candies
Coffee grounds & filters, teabag
Dairy products, cheese & yogurt (no containers)
Eggs & egg shells
Fruit
Meat, fish & shellfish (including bones)
Nuts & nutshells
Pasta, couscous, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, flour & grains
Vegetables, corn cobs & husks, pumpkins & salads
Sauces, mayonnaise, salad dressing, syrups, peanut butter, jams & jellies (no containers)
Fats & oils, lard, gravy, butter & margarine (no containers)
Shredded paper
Soiled paper towels, paper napkins, facial tissues, paper towel rolls & toilet paper rolls
Soiled paper food packaging, cardboard egg cartons, pizza liners, paper plates, paper towels, and napkins
Houseplants
Popsicle sticks, toothpicks, wood chips, sawdust & cold wood ashes (in paper bags)
Leaves and grass clippings
Weeds, plants, flowers and pumpkins
Small branches and prunings
Not Accepted
Plastic bags & wrap, Styrofoam
Plastic containers and cutlery
Foil wrap, pouches and pie plates
Metal cans or glass jars
Cereal and cracker box liners
Chip and cookie bags
Pet food bags and other lined bags
Make-up remover pads, cotton swabs and balls
Butter wrappers (foil)
Dental floss, rubber bands
Soiled diapers, baby wipes
Cigarettes and butts
Vacuum contents and bags
Pet feces or litter

 Other
Can I still use my backyard composter?
Yes! Home composting is the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to dispose of food scraps, not to mention the ‘black gold’ compost you’ll get as a result. If you have a home composter, please continue to use it. Use this new program for ‘other’ stuff like meat, bones, fish and bread.
What about animals getting into my bins?
You were already putting food scraps outside in your garbage, now you’re just putting them in a different bin. If you’ve had issues with animals getting into your bins, here are some tips to help prevent that:
  • keep the yard and food bin in your garage and put it out in the morning—not the night before 
  • wrap fish & meats with newspaper 
  • store scraps in the freezer until collection day

Here are links to the West Vancouver and City of Coquitlam Bear Aware resources.

What if I have too much material for my bin?
* Please note the weight limit for each yard bin is 20 kg.
 
If you have too much kitchen and yard waste to fit in your bin, please put your food scraps in the yard bin for collection. Then, either save your excess yard waste until the next collection day, or put yard waste only in kraft paper bags beside your bin. You could also add another yard trimmings bin if you like — pick up more yard bin stickers at your city hall.
 
If you would like to make quality compost at home you can reduce the amount you need to put in your bin by grass-cycling, mulching, and composting suitable materials such as leaves, grass and vegetable or fruit peelings in your home composter. You can call the Food scraps recycling Program Hotline at (604) 432-6200 or check your municipal website for information on this.
What if my bin isn’t full?
There is no need to fill up your yard trimmings bin. Put it out for curbside collection on your designated pick up day, even if it is not full.
Where can I get more information?
Call the food scraps recycling Program Hotline at (604) 432-6200
Or, Email us your questions at foodrecycling@metrovancouver.org


Click on the image to download a copy of the recipe.

For more information and media requests, please contact the Metro Vancouver Information Centre at 604-432-6200.

**We’ll be updating regularly, so please check back to see what’s new.**

 For more information: