Regional Kitchen Scraps Strategy
Organic materials, such as kitchen scraps and soiled paper products, make up 30% of the garbage going into Hartland landfill. Much of this material is not suitable for backyard composting but can be processed in a controlled composting facility. Facilities with this specialized technology are operating on Vancouver Island. There is an alternative to landfilling those kitchen scraps that cannot be composted at home. Creating compost instead of disposing waste has many benefits, including:
- Reducing garbage and extending the life of Hartland landfill
- Saving a valuable resource
- Producing products such as compost and fertilizer that enhance soil and aid plant growth
More information on the Regional Kitchen Scraps Strategy is coming soon!
Kitchen Scraps Initiative Video 
Kitchen Scraps Recycling for Businesses - Consultation Period
From October 3 – November 10, 2011 the CRD conducted consultation on kitchen scraps recycling for the businesses sector.
Residential Pilot Project
A successful two year pilot program was conducted with 4,000 residents in the municipalities of Oak Bay and View Royal from 2006-2008. Through this pilot, residents collected their kitchen scraps in an indoor kitchen catcher and then moved them to an outdoor tote when the catcher was full. The outdoor tote was then co-collected with garbage where different vehicles, collection containers and frequencies were tested. The program was well received by the public with over 70% participation. Both these jurisdictions are continuing with the collection of kitchen scraps in the pilot areas. These residents continue to divert over 450 tonnes of food scraps from their garbage each year.
- Final Report (PDF
)
Alternatives for other CRD Residents
Residents outside of the pilot areas who would like to separate their food scraps for collection and composting may contract a private company. See Myrecyclopedia.ca for more details on kitchen scraps diversion.
Onsite food digesters are another alternative for diversion of kitchen scraps. Green Cone digesters have been piloted in our region and more information is available by contacting the Compost Education Centre.
Kitchen Scraps & Your Compost
Kitchen scraps collection doesn't replace backyard composting – it complements it. Residents already composting fruit and vegetable scraps can take advantage of an odour-free, pest and rodent resistant service for processing meat and dairy products, oils, eggs, and other organic materials that require more complex infrastructure for composting. Although some households in the CRD can successfully compost these materials with specialized digesters, most residents dispose of them in their garbage.
Other Successful Curbside Kitchen Scrap Programs
As resources and landfill space become more scarce and efforts for sustainability more prominent, many jurisdictions are moving towards residential curbside kitchen waste collection, treating organic materials as a valuable resource instead of “waste”. Successful kitchen scraps curbside collection programs in North America include San Francisco, Seattle, Halifax, Toronto and Metro Vancouver; on Vancouver Island, Ladysmith collects kitchen scraps and Regional District of Nanaimo began rolling out their program in November 2010.