Multi-Family Residential Composting Options
January 7, 2015
Looking for information about what the CRD kitchen scraps strategy means for your multi-family dwelling? You’ve come to the right place!
About the Capital Regional District (CRD) Kitchen Scraps Strategy
Starting January 1, 2015 kitchen scraps will be restricted from your garbage (for more information from the CRD on the ban, see their website). Organic materials, such as kitchen scraps, constitute approximately 30% of the waste at Hartland landfill. In order to achieve the region’s diversion goal of 70% by 2015, kitchen scraps must be removed from the garbage. How service is offered will depend upon where you live. Single family residences within certain municipalities will have access to a food scraps collection program in conjunction with their bi-weekly garbage collection. Multi-family residences (MFRs) including apartments, condominiums, townhouses and co-operative housing are generally serviced by private waste haulers who are obligated under the January 2015 kitchen scraps restriction to offer their customers a food waste collection service option. Below are some steps to assist multi-family residents with this new program.
- Check with your property manager or landlord to find out the building’s plans for kitchen scrap diversion (see below for contact information)
- Ask your current garbage hauler if they collect food scraps and if not, what plans do they have for their clients to comply with the restriction.
- Consider the possibility of dealing with kitchen waste on your property. Space allowing, there are multiple options for on-site composting.
On-Site Composting and Food Waste Diversion for Multi-Family Residences
There are many options to divert organic matter from the landfill and recycle this nutrient-rich resource, and on-site small-scale composting remains the most ecological and economic solution. Simply by composting, a typical household can divert more than 500 pounds of organic waste each year from the landfill, while creating rich, organic soil amendment for home gardens.
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Both units offer an opportunity to effectively deal with food waste at a residential level in an extremely cost effective and environmentally positive manner. This provides residents with an opportunity to take responsibility for the food waste they produce, and to deal with it simply and effectively in their own backyard. Both units are available for sale from our office at 1216 North Park, Wednesday-Saturday, 10:00am – 4:00pm.
Green Cone Information Session (1 hr, $75)
Ideal for apartment buildings, stratas, condos or anyone wanting to educate a group on how to best use this amazing organics disposal system. The Green Cone is our most popular strategy for complying with the CRD – wide ban on organics that started January 1st, 2015.
Price includes:
- One hour explanation of how to use the Green Cone to its full potential,
- Paper copies of our Green Cone Digester Factsheet to distribute to each unit in your complex,
- Member pricing on your first 2 Green Cones ($135 instead of $150)
- Ongoing support via our hotline
Large-Scale On-Site Composting Options
There are larger-scale options available on the market which can handle the food waste from whole businesses, institutions and multi-family residences. These are generally in the form of electric composters and range greatly in size, design and price.
Please contact the Compost Education Centre directly to discuss these options.
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