Phase Two of public engagement on curbside food waste collection is now closed. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, we received over 4000 survey responses!

We will be reporting back on the survey results with the "Phase Two What We Heard Report" later this summer. The results will be presented to local Councils in late August and early September, and to the Regional Board later this fall.

Please check back to yoursay.rdco.com for updates to the curbside food waste collection program this fall.

Let’s talk food waste: Have your say on food waste collection in the Central Okanagan

Last fall, the RDCO initiated Phase One of engagement to gauge community support for a food waste collection program in the Central Okanagan. The results were promising, with 73% of respondents expressing enthusiasm for such a program and 83% saying they would likely participate in a food waste program if it was implemented. Detailed results from Phase One engagement can be found in the What We Heard Report.

Your opinion matters

Your interest in a food waste collection program for the Central Okanagan hasn't gone unnoticed! We're launching Phase Two of engagement for the month of June and we want to hear from you. Help shape what food waste collection in the Central Okanagan could look like. Your feedback will directly shape the decision criteria, helping us design a program for success that serves residents region-wide.

What we need from you

As part of Phase Two, we're asking for your feedback on various aspects of the proposed food waste program, including:

• Elements to be considered when locating a transfer station.
• How often your garbage is collected.
• Costs related to collection, transport and processing of food waste.
• Further opportunities for engagement.
• Your preferred methods for education and outreach.

How to get involved

1. Complete the survey

• Complete the Phase Two survey at between June 3 and July 2, 2024. By completing the survey, you will be entered into a draw for a chance to win one of five $50 grocery store gift cards.
• Prefer paper and pen? Printed surveys will also be available at the front counters of municipal halls across the region and the Glenmore Landfill administration building. Complete the survey on site and return it to front counter staff or bring it home and return to any municipal office or the RDCO office at 1450 KLO Road, Kelowna, BC V1W 3Z4 before July 2, 2024.

2. Ask questions and leave comments

• We want to hear from you! Leave your questions below in the "Questions" section. Our waste reduction experts will be answering questions throughout the month.
• We'd also love to see you in person. Our experts will be out in your community throughout the month at pop-up events (see the calendar of events below). Stop by and ask your questions, share your comments or take the survey. We look forward to seeing you.

What happens next?

The results from Phase One and Phase Two of engagement will be used as criteria to design a proposed curbside food waste program. The results will be presented to each municipal council as well as the RDCO Board in late 2024.

About the food waste program

Did you know that currently, 41% of residential garbage is compostable. Food waste and other compostables that are buried at the Glenmore landfill, decompose, and produce methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas. Almost 70% of this gas is collected using underground pipes within the garbage and sent to a renewable natural gas upgrade plant located at the landfill. The remaining methane gas, however, enters the atmosphere and contributes to climate change.

Currently, there is no municipal food waste collection service in the Central Okanagan as there is no processing facility in the region. Compostable materials in residential curbside garbage make up nearly 50 per cent of our community’s landfill-bound waste stream including 41% food waste and soiled paper and 6.8% other compostables like yard waste. By introducing a food waste collection program, we could divert at least 7,500 tonnes of waste from the landfill per year. Reducing the volume of waste in the landfill will help extend its lifespan and reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. Properly disposing of food waste also ensures that the nutrients from discarded food are returned to the environment, benefiting our ecosystem.

UPDATE: February 26, 2024

Thank you to everyone who has submitted comments on yoursay.rdco.com on the proposed food waste collection program for Central Okanagan residents. We appreciate your feedback.

We officially launched this site in October 2023 as part of Phase One of a public engagement process to share information about the current waste collection process, why food waste collection is now being considered, and to offer a space for you to ask questions and provide comments.

Phase one of engagement also included conducting a statistically valid survey with approximately 1800 randomly selected residents. This was completed in December 2023.

The goal of Phase One of engagement was to measure overall community support for a food waste collection program and identify concerns residents may have regarding this type of program.

A summary of the results have been compiled here: “What We Heard Report: Phase One Food Waste Engagement for the RDCO”. Phase One of the engagement process is now complete.

On February 22, 2024 the Regional Board received results of the "What We Heard Report". The report indicated as a region, 73% would support a curbside food waste program and 83% said they would likely participate in a food waste program if it was implemented.

Next steps for the project include additional public engagement focused on potential service design and delivery, with a proposal to be brought forward to the Regional Board by the end of 2024.

Service design to include:

• where composting of food waste will take place
• if a transfer station is required
• costs related to collection, transport and processing of food waste
• frequency of collection
• identifying further public consultation and education needs

Stay tuned to yoursay.rdco.com for updates on Phase Two of the proposed food waste program.

Let’s talk food waste

Did you know that currently, 41% of residential garbage is compostable (including food waste and soiled paper)? Food waste and other compostables that are buried at the Glenmore landfill, decompose and produce methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas. Almost 70% of this gas is collected using underground pipes within the garbage and sent to a renewable natural gas upgrade plant located at the landfill. The remaining methane gas, however, enters the atmosphere and contributes to climate change.

Our 2022 Food Waste Feasibility Study identified putting food waste into yard waste carts as the preferred option to manage curbside food waste collection in the region. The Regional District of Central Okanagan has now begun to further explore the possibility of a curbside residential food waste collection program using existing yard waste carts. This would mean food waste would be diverted from the landfill and sent for composting.

Part of the exploration for a food waste collection program is to engage with residents of the Central Okanagan and get feedback on the possible program.

• Phase 1 of this engagement will measure overall community support for a curbside food waste collection program as well as identify concerns residents may have regarding the program. Based on feedback received in this initial phase, the RDCO will then decide if and how to move forward in developing a region-wide curbside food waste collection program for Central Okanagan residents.
  
  As part of Phase 1, the RDCO is conducting a statistically valid survey and over 1800 residents are being randomly selected to participate. This mailout survey will provide a comprehensive understanding of residents’ opinions and preferences regarding food waste collection. Results of the survey will be compiled by an independent firm and presented to the Regional District this winter, with results of the survey available here as well.
  
  
• Once Phase 1 is complete and if implementation continues, Phase 2 of the engagement will focus on addressing concerns identified in Phase 1. Concerns identified could include how often your waste is collected, where food waste would be processed, and how much the program would cost.
  
  Phase 2 of engagement would include a much broader level of public outreach and engagement including events such as open houses or pop up events, neighborhood newsletters, and more.
  
  

If you don’t receive a survey, you can provide your thoughts or ask questions below.

Why are we exploring food waste collection now?

• The 2022 Food Waste Feasibility Study identified food waste going into existing yard waste carts as a good option for diverting food waste from landfill.
• Food waste collection could divert almost 7,500 tonnes of waste from the landfill annually, extending the lifespan of the regions’ only landfill.
• While 70% of methane gas (a powerful greenhouse gas) is captured at the landfill, 30% still enters the atmosphere. Reducing food waste going to the landfill will reduce overall greenhouse gas production at the landfill.
• Food waste collection was identified as a key initiative to explore in the Regions Solid Waste Management Plan, which provides a blueprint for how our waste is managed in the region until 2030.
• The Regional Board has identified implementation of a curbside organics (adding food waste) collection program in their 2023-2026 strategic priorities.
• By 2047, the population of the Central Okanagan will likely grow by more than 85,000 people, leading to more waste. We need to find a way to manage our waste and landfill more effectively.

How organics are currently managed in the Central Okanagan

Today, over 15,000 tonnes of yard waste is collected curbside and composted into GlenGrow, a nutrient rich soil enhancer used to improve local soil in gardens and parks.

The majority of food waste in the region is landfilled at the Glenmore landfill. Food waste that is landfilled gradually decomposes and creates methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas. However, 70% of the methane gas generated at the Glenmore landfill is captured and diverted through a renewable natural gas upgrade plant operated by FortisBC. This renewable natural gas is used to heat homes and businesses in the region. Any remaining methane gas that is not captured is released into the environment.

Potential food waste collection program

Can more organic material be diverted from the landfill? We are exploring the possibility of collecting food waste so it could be composted, diverting waste from the landfill, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The most effective way to collect food waste in the Central Okanagan, according to our recent feasibility study (2022), is to put food waste into existing yard waste carts and begin collecting those yard waste carts weekly instead of biweekly. With food waste out of the garbage stream, garbage collection could be changed to every other week. As there are currently no local compost facilities permitted to process food waste in our region, a transfer station would need to be sited and built in the region to receive comingled food/yard waste from residential collection trucks. The material would then be hauled to a compost facility and finished compost could be used as a soil enhancer such as mine reclamation. This change in collection would likely have some additional cost to residents.

The first phase of the food waste program focuses on residents who have curbside yard waste collection. Other sectors such as multifamily, transfer station users and commercial generators of food waste would be explored in the future.