Businesses can begin composting food waste in Revelstoke starting November 1 with the opening of a Columbia Shuswap Regional District’s (CSRD) commercial composting facility at the Revelstoke Landfill.
The goal of the project is to reduce food waste by collecting it locally and processing it into viable compost material that can enrich the soil, rather than dumping it into the landfill.
The commercial program is another step towards the long-term goal of community-wide composting of food waste. Currently the commercial program will be open to restaurants, hotels, offices, schools, multi-family developments, daycares and any other commercial operation that produces food waste.
The CSRD has partnered with the Revelstoke Local Food Initiative, a non-profit group promoting food security and education, to assist businesses with making the transition to commercial composting. A survey is currently being conducted to better understand business needs and potential challenges with the Food Waste Collection Program.
Effective November 1, commercial haulers can begin to collect the contents of commercial compost bins along a designated route, much as they would do for garbage collection. The food waste will be taken to the new facility, which is equipped with four compost stalls and a system to provide air to the compost piles to enhance decomposition. The compost will be regularly monitored by the facility operator.
The facility’s capacity for large amounts of compost allows materials that generally wouldn’t decompose in backyard compost to be deposited into the facility. These items include bones, meat, dairy products, and compostable packaging such as restaurant take-out containers and cutlery.
“It’s a learning process for these businesses to figure out how best to divert their food waste,” says Graham Casselman, the CSRD’s Waste Reduction Coordinator. “There’s a lot of excitement from people in Revelstoke to participate because it’s easy to understand the benefits of keeping a resource like food waste out of our garbage and turning it into a product that can enrich the soil.”
Compost from the facility will be tested to ensure it meets all provincial and federal regulatory standards before being marketed for public use within the community.
Business questions about compost education can be directed to Isabel Kessi at Revelstoke Local Food Initiative at compost@revelstokelocalfood.com
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