Update October 2013 Information for your Business Attention Communications Manager Metro Vancouver staff have discussed the coming organics disposal ban with businesses, institutions and commercial operations throughout the region and many have requested information to share in their industry. This package is designed to help you inform your organization of the changes ahead. It includes background information, Q&As, an article and summary that can be used in newsletters or other communication channels to your constituents. We encourage you to use any of this text verbatim, and to link to Metro Vancouver s related web resources, which are regularly updated as more details become available. In this package you will find: 1. A letter to stakeholders from Paul Henderson, the General Manager of Metro Vancouver s Solid Waste Department, confirming Metro Vancouver s intention to proceed with the organics disposal ban. 2. An article based on the experiences of two restaurants in the region that are already separating food and food waste from their garbage. There is also a summary of the article. 3. A Q&A. 4. Some facts from the 2011 regional waste audit listing the volume of food and other items that were disposed of in the garbage. These amounts represent what we put in the garbage after recycling. We included this to provide some context on the volumes of food in our garbage relative to other categories. If you have any questions about communicating this information or the consultation process, or if you would like to share your business solutions with others, please contact our staff at organicsdisposalban@metrovancouver.org. This mailbox will be checked regularly. Sincerely, David Hocking Corporate Communications Division Manager External Relations Department Metro Vancouver Every year in our region, we send about 250,000 tonnes of food to the garbage.
Background Between 2009 to 2011, Metro Vancouver worked with many community and business representatives to create a plan for how this region will manage its solid waste (garbage) into the future. The public was clear they wanted the plan to focus on waste reduction and recycling, and supported an increase in the recycling rate from 55% to 70% by 2015. Eliminating food and food waste (currently over 250,000 tonnes annually) from the garbage was seen as important to protect the environment, and as a major step forward toward the 70% target. To encourage this change, Metro Vancouver will no longer allow organic materials including food and food waste to be disposed in the garbage. Metro Vancouver will hold consultations on this disposal ban in early 2014 to determine key details such as when in 2015 the ban will come into effect, its phasing, exemptions and enforcement. This ban will apply to residents and businesses. Many Metro Vancouver municipalities are working with residents in both single family and apartmentstyle housing (often called multi-family housing) to separate food and food waste from the garbage. Since 2011, Metro Vancouver has been working with restaurants, grocers, Business Improvement Associations, health facilities, schools and property managers to assess the challenges and start preparing to separate food and food waste from garbage.
Q& A on Metro Vancouver s Organics Disposal Ban The way we manage our waste is changing: Food will no longer go into the landfill Your business will have to separate food and food waste from regular garbage 1. When will food and food waste have to be separated from the garbage? The ban is scheduled to begin during 2015. There will be a phased-in process which will be determined through a consultation process. 2. Why is this happening? Currently, even with our region s relatively successful recycling levels, we generate well over a million tonnes of garbage a year. Food is about 20% (over 250,000 tonnes a year) of our garbage. It is something we can sort and remove from the garbage. Through public consultation we ve agreed as a region to get our recycling rate from 55% to 70% by 2015 and recycling food is one of the key actions to get there. Food doesn t break down well in the landfill because once it is buried there is no oxygen to help it decay. In the landfill it creates methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. However, if it is recycled, and allowed to break down in the right conditions, it can be processed into useful compost or biofuel. 3. What might be included in the disposal ban? Depending on the consultation that will start in 2014, the ban could include almost all types of food and food-soiled papers, such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, dairy, frozen food, packaged food, floral, deli and bakery items. Restaurant food waste also includes plate scrapings, paper napkins and bags, and foodsoiled paper like paper plates and coffee filters. 4. What might be excluded from this disposal ban? Possible food and food-soiled paper exemptions to the ban will be discussed during the consultation process. 5. Can I use plastic bags, even compostable ones, as a bin liner? The facilities in our region make high-quality compost and are more effective without plastics. This includes those labelled compostable or similar. No residential food collection programs accept plastics. Paper liners are acceptable. If a load of food comes to a facility for compost or biofuel and contains plastic bags it will likely be returned to the garbage. Bins can be lined with paper and rinsed to stay clean. There are some exceptions for commercial waste, which is normally higher volume than residential and handled separately from residential waste. Businesses can talk to their hauler or landlord to understand their options. In addition to plastic bags, there are other contaminants that should not go into the compost and biofuel facilities. These include as examples: plastic tags, plastic wrap, meat trays, aluminum foil, twist ties, stickers, labels, elastics. 6. How will I separate food and food waste from my garbage? Businesses may need to determine how their current garbage is collected. Some businesses contract directly with the hauler, a landlord may handle it or in some cases the city may collect it. Your current garbage service provider may provide food collection service and be able to help you plan how to separate food from regular garbage. Other ways to reduce the amount of food you throw out are by donating or increasing donations to organizations that collect useable food for distribution to food banks and other community groups. Reassessing your inventory control process may also reduce waste.
Q&A continued 7. Will this change cost me more money? At this point it is difficult to determine if separating food from the garbage will mean an additional cost. Some businesses already separating food find it cost-neutral while others see a small increase or decrease in their costs. Disposal fees at facilities that take food waste are lower than those on regular garbage. Other factors that influence cost are the nature of your business, the type and volume of garbage you make, opportunities to make less, and the details of contracts etc. Metro Vancouver is starting to work with different types of businesses to record examples of the costs related to separating food from regular garbage. If you are interested in sharing your experience please contact us via email at organicsdisposalban@metrovancouver.org. 8. Do I have to commit space and provide different access to store or haul away a separate bin for food? You will need space for the food bin(s). Your garbage hauler may have solutions. You may be able to share a food bin with a neighbouring business or start to use smaller garbage bins. 9. Are there companies that provide services like hauling food to a compost facility, that can help me get started, or depackage food if required? Most hauling companies that collect your regular garbage can also collect food waste. There are many in the Lower Mainland that offer services to large and small business. It is likely that as more businesses begin to separate food from regular garbage and need depackaging services, more options will become available. 10. How will the ban be enforced and will there be fines once the disposal ban is in place? Metro Vancouver has disposal bans on many other recyclable items like cardboard, paper and hard plastics. There are fines associated with enforcement of these disposal bans. Our priority is to keep food out of the landfill, not to develop an extensive fining process. The upcoming organics ban is the latest change in the way we manage our waste, and like blue box recycling or cardboard-only bins, this practice will seem more normal over time. 11. When will more information become available? Metro Vancouver will continue to communicate developments as this disposal ban comes into effect. Updated information is posted on our website, and will be provided to many business associations, municipalities, and other groups. If you require more information, please let us know via email at organicsdisposalban@ metrovancouver.org. Metro Vancouver staff check this email regularly. Metro Vancouver will hold consultations on the details on the disposal ban such as phasing in, exclusions and enforcement in early 2014.
Article you might use to communicate about the ban SEPARATING FOOD & FOOD WASTE FROM GARBAGE EASIER THAN IMAGINED When their restaurants decided to take the next step in recycling, Andrea Thorgilsson and Andrew Wong were most surprised at how easy it was. After discovering just how much of their restaurants garbage was food and food waste, which was unnecessarily going to the landfill, they investigated how best to separate food waste from the garbage for their businesses. At Trafalgar s Bistro where Thorgilsson is General Manager, they installed an array of recycling bins behind the restaurant including several for food and food waste that later goes into an on-site composter. Wong s Wild Rice restaurant on the New Westminster quay shares bins with other businesses to dispose of food and food waste that is picked up and taken to a commercial composting facility. Trafalgar s and Wild Rice are ahead of the curve in keeping food and food waste out of the garbage, which will become mandatory for all Metro Vancouver residents, businesses and institutions during 2015. Customers can t believe we re doing it. There s tons of positive response, said Thorgilsson of the food separation and composting they began in 2011. People think it must be so hard. But for us that s been the most surprising thing, that it s so easy. Wong compares separating food and food waste from the garbage to our first recycling efforts decades ago. It s easy to get rid of your organics now. It s just following up with the staff to ensure they re sorting properly just like it was for the challenge of sorting your glass, metals and plastics way back when, he said. Food and food waste are often called organics and include all food items from fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and eggs to bakery items, packaged foods in tins, containers and plastic wrap to frozen food. Restaurant and fast food organics also include plate scrapings, paper napkins and bags, coffee filters, wooden utensils, chop sticks, stir sticks and tooth picks. Residential pick up of food and yard waste happens in almost all Metro Vancouver municipalities. The practice is now moving in to businesses and institutions. Through public consultation our region has chosen a 70 per cent waste diversion goal by 2015. To meet this goal, address environmental issues and reduce food waste, Metro Vancouver decided to keep all food and food waste out of the landfill. In the landfill rotting food makes methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. However, if it is recycled, and allowed to break down in the right conditions, it can be processed into beneficial compost or biofuels. The food sector is a key partner to help us achieve this goal, and our intent is to work with food-related businesses and waste disposal operators to support this change in how we manage our waste, said Metro Vancouver Zero Waste Committee Chair Malcolm Brodie. Another way to keep usable food out of the garbage is to donate it to organizations that distribute it to food banks and community groups. There are several organizations in Metro Vancouver that collect usable food and deliver it to groups that work with people who need this assistance, Brodie said. We also know there are businesses developing ways to help restaurants and grocery stores discard packaged foods to keep them out of the garbage, and we are sure that the private sector will develop new services and facilities to take advantage of the business opportunities presented by this change in how we handle waste, he added. Across North America, other cities are determining how to keep food and food waste out of the garbage, and Metro Vancouver staff are examining practices in other innovative cities. Throughout 2013 and 14, Metro Vancouver staff will continue to work with food and restaurant industry representatives and Business Improvement Associations to determine how best to implement regulations to remove food and food waste from the garbage. You may choose to insert a quote from your organization Note: A video about this article is available at metrovancouver.org
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE What most surprises restaurants, grocery stores and food businesses that separate food and food waste from their garbage is how easy the transition is. Today, there is residential pick up of food and yard waste in most Metro Vancouver municipalities. In 2015, food and food waste often called organics will no longer be allowed in the Metro Vancouver landfills. All businesses and institutions, including restaurants, grocery stores, food producers and processors, must separate food and food waste from their garbage. Metro Vancouver staff will continue to work with food-related businesses, recycling facility operators and service providers to support this change in how we manage our waste. Contact Email: organicsdisposalban@metrovancouver.org Phone: 604-432-6200 Write: Metro Vancouver Attn: Solid Waste Department 4330 Kingsway Burnaby, BC V5G 4G8 Information For more information on this and other changes to the way we manage our waste, visit metrovancouver.org and search Organics Disposal Ban or Solid Waste Plan. www.metrovancouver.org
2011 Waste Composition Summary Chart This table summarizes the annual waste (garbage) generated in Metro Vancouver by residents, businesses and building demolition. It represents waste after all recycling. Waste Category Residential Industrial Commercial Institutional 3 Demolition Land Clearing and Construction All Sectors % Tonnes % Tonnes % Tonnes % Tonnes Paper 13% 73,000 22% 111,000 0% 400 13% 185,000 Plastic 11% 65,000 14% 71,000 4% 12,000 11% 147,000 Compostable Organics 1 36% 211,000 34% 171,000 27% 84,000 33% 466,000 Non Compostable Organics 2 13% 77,000 9% 45,000 29% 88,000 15% 210,000 Metals 3% 17,000 3% 15,000 2% 5,000 3% 37,000 Glass 2% 11,000 1% 5,000 1% 2,000 1% 19,000 Building Material 8% 44,000 7% 35,000 36% 112,000 14% 191,000 Electronic Waste 2% 12,000 2% 10,000 N/A N/A 2% 22,000 Household Hazardous 1% 4,000 2% 10,000 N/A N/A 1% 15,000 Household Hygiene 8% 45,000 3% 15,000 N/A N/A 4% 61,000 Bulky Objects 3% 19,000 3% 15,000 0% 500 3% 35,000 Fines 1% 4,000 1% 5,000 1% 3,000 1% 12,000 TOTAL 100% 582,000 100% 504,000 100% 306,900 100% 1,399,000 1 Compostable organics includes: mostly food, and yard waste and untreated wood 2 Non Compostable organics includes: textiles, leather, rubber and treated wood 3 Industrial, Commercial and Institutional includes for examples: grocers, restaurants, shopping malls, food courts, senior residences, universities, schools, health facilities, food manufacturers, office towers. These numbers are rounded. More details on what goes into the region s landfills are available at metrovancouver.org