COLD LAKE - A representative from Food Cycle Science Corporation presented a case for implementing municipal food waste diversion programs at the Aug. 13 regular City of Cold Lake council meeting.
Jacob Hanlon, the coordinator for Food Cycle Science Corporation, provided council with an overview of their nationally recognized waste solutions and how they could benefit Cold Lake.
“We are a nationally recognized waste solutions company and are partnered with over 140 Canadian municipalities, helping them divert their food waste from the landfill,” he said. He also highlighted that federal grants have historically helped offset the costs of these programs.
“We met some of your staff at the FCM Conference in Calgary earlier this month, and they showed interest in our diversion programs,” Hanlon added.
The program transforms food waste into a nutrient-rich byproduct. As Hanlon explained, it’s “easier to deal with and manage than food waste in its raw form. We understand that most residents in our program, they like to add their byproduct into their garden.” However, he acknowledged that not all residents have the capacity or desire to garden year-round.
Hanlon highlighted that the program offers various options for residents to manage food waste, including backyard composters, on-site bins, yard waste systems, and local compost sites. Additionally, local farmers and community gardens may participate as collection points.
One of the advantages of the food cycler program is its positive environmental impact. Hanlon stressed, “It is a net negative carbon solution… when you use the food cycler as a solution to avoid bringing food waste to the landfill, you're actually avoiding more greenhouse gases in that process than you're creating.” Additionally, he pointed out, “You're not necessarily putting CO2-emitting trucks on the road to collect the food waste… everything's just happening in the place where the waste is actually generated.”
Hanlon explained that traditional waste management is costly due to expenses like trucking, labour, and maintenance. In contrast, the food cycler program reduces these costs by enabling residents to manage waste directly at home.
During the meeting, Coun. Bob Mattice inquired about the maintenance requirements and lifespan of the machines required for the program.
“The only maintenance aspect is the charcoal filters that are in there… residents will change that anywhere from two to four times a year.” He further clarified that the machines have a “lifespan of about seven years... Seven to 10 is really our range.”
Mayor Craig Copeland asked about the involvement of provincial and federal governments in subsidizing the program. Hanlon explained that previous federal funding has been instrumental in launching the program but noted, “As that federal funding ran out, we actually decided to keep the price points at that same level as if there was that funding still.” He assured council that the company remains open to exploring new grant opportunities.
Hanlon shared statistics from municipalities using the food cycler program.
“What we found is the results have been overwhelmingly positive… 98 per cent of residents report they're going to keep using their food sites by moving forward as their food waste solution upon the completion of the three-month pilot.” This high participation rate, he noted, demonstrates the community's interest in sustainable waste management solutions.
The program is designed to be low-cost and accessible to residents.
Hanlon explained, “We provide a 50 per cent discount as our municipal partnership rate. We then ask the municipality to subsidize by $100 per household, and then the resident chips in that remaining cost.”
He emphasized that it’s an opt-in program, saying, “You typically get the residents who are invested in something like this… they're happy to chip in and be part of the solution.”
Mattice also asked about how the program could be rolled out to residents. Hanlon assured council that Food Cycle Science Corporation takes care of those logistics.
“We host the online registration for your constituents… our team is here every step of the way. We are the ones that are communicating with residents. We administer a survey at the end. We create that presentation.”
As discussions wrapped up, Copeland expressed interest in exploring the program further and suggested it could be brought to a future meeting or addressed during budget deliberations.
