Timeline: 2021 onwards
Sixty-five per cent of food waste that could be eaten is produced by the industrial, commercial & institutional (IC&I) sector — restaurants, day cares, hospitals, retirement homes, grocery stores, and the like — and nearly all of the waste ends up in landfill where it produces methane that contributes to climate change. It’s currently unaffordable for most IC&I businesses who manage their own waste to divert organic waste to compost. A pilot project conceived and led by Circular Innovation Council (CIC) and funded in part by Our Food Future – an initiative of the City of Guelph and County of Wellington – is creating a scalable, cooperative routing system that is helping 45 IC&I businesses across Wellington County and Guelph divert organic waste to compost at a reasonable cost.
Between November 2021 and December 2022, this innovative approach resulted in the diversion of 318 tonnes of organic waste to compost, avoiding 413 tonnes of CO2e. The project also connects participants to food rescue organizations, so food rescue can become a deliberate part of their waste management strategies, resulting in the recovery of over 37,000 meals.
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Municipality: Guelph
Action: Waste Diversion
Category: Waste