Instead of putting onion skins and banana peels in the trash, there is now a program in Revelstoke for composting.
When Revelstoke resident Jenna McIntyre moved to Revelstoke, she said she was surprised there wasn’t a composting program already.
“But there seemed to be a lot of interest for one.”
So she started one.
“There’s so much energy and nutrients still in food waste so if we could put that to use,” McIntyre said.
According to Biogasworld, one of the world’s largest biogas and biomethane company, a North American community of 10,0000 people throws away 2.3 million pounds of food waste per year, which if converted into energy would power a desktop computer for 800 years.
| Organic waste, such as fruits, vegetables, egg shells can be composted. Items such as diary, meat, and cooked food with oil cannot. (Liam Harrap/Revelstoke Review) |
The service costs $20 per household per month, which McIntyre said pays for gas and a small wage for staff. So far, she said roughly 20 people have signed up for the program.
McIntyre takes the waste to a local mill by Glacier House, who will process the compost. People signed up for the program can get some of the soil produced. McIntyre also plans to donate the soil to the local food bank garden.
READ MORE: CSRD to build yard waste compost facility in Revelstoke
Since 2012, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District has been looking to build a composting facility in the Revelstoke area. Last year, the Columbia Basin Trust gave the district $30,000 towards the project.
In 2012, CSRD Environmental Health Services Team Leader Ben Van Nostrand said there was strong support for a facility in Revelstoke.
READ MORE: Revelstoke closer to seeing compost facility built
According to the Columbia Basin Trust, within the City of Revelstoke the commercial sector generates 1,400 tonnes of food waste annually. In 2018, the district did a study for the Revelstoke landfill and concluded that the largest component of waste was organic at 51 per cent.
While the district hoped to begin construction on a composting facility last year, Van Nostrand said they are currently waiting for building permits from the City of Revelstoke and hope to begin it this summer.
The facility will first accept waste from commercial sector. Businesses will be penalized for not diverting food waste from the landfill.
“We’d like to encourage change through people’s pocket books,” said Van Nostrand.
Eventually, when the facility is built, Van Nostrand said hopefully residents “will get excited” and lobby the City of Revelstoke to divert food waste and bring in a city run curb-side compost program.
The district has no control over residential waste collection. Dawn Low, director of corporate administration for the City of Revelstoke, said the city will be evaluating options to divert organic waste from residential areas in the near future.
Other municipalities in the district are starting composting programs, for example Salmon Arm will start a curb-side composting program July 1.
READ MORE: Residents to receive three-pack of bins for composting, recycling
If interested in signing up for the composting program in Revelstoke, send McIntyre an email at revelstokecomposts@gmail.com.
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liam.harrap@revelstokereview.com
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