Press
Fraser Richmond's new food waste program
Vancouver Sun, June, 2009
METRO VANCOUVER - A Richmond composting facility will be able to take 50,000 extra tons of organic material in addition to the 100,000 tonnes of yard waste it takes from Metro Vancouver each year.
Metro Vancouver, the administrative body responsible for waste management throughout the region, announced Thursday that it signed a deal with Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre Ltd.
"We can provide an additional 50 tonnes of capacity that would allow [municipalities] to implement food-waste programs," said Bill Morrell, spokesman for Metro Vancouver.
Morrell said Metro Vancouver managed to secure a very good price so composting would be less expensive than throwing the garbage away.
Food-waste that could be headed to Richmond includes everything from last week's moldy leftovers to coffee grinds to pizza boxes.
Once the organic waste is fully composted, it will be sold as soil and mulch to buyers like landscapers.
But it's up to individual municipalities to decide how to pick up the food-waste. One of the most-used pick-up methods is curbside containers like those currently used in Port Coquitlam.
The deal is part of the region's attempt to divert 70 per cent of waste from landfill by 2015.
