As of today, fines for mixing organic food waste with garbage loads will begin in Metro Vancouver.
This means that organic waste such as fruits, vegetables, breads, bones and other food scraps should be disposed in separate specially designated containers.
The food waste policy will extend to condominiums, townhouses and businesses beginning today. Single-family homes in the region have already begun using the new disposal system, which sends organic waste for composting and reduces the amount of methane released from landfills – a major contributor to global greenhouse gases.
However, the fines will only be directed at haulers if inspectors discover that loads of garbage have over 25 per cent organic waste. These fines are a 50 per cent surcharge of the usual tipping fee.
Hauling companies can recover their fines by charging multi-family residential buildings and businesses extra fees for their organic food waste.
According to the regional district, 100,000 tonnes of edible food is wasted on an annual basis in Metro Vancouver.
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