Commercial Food Waste Disposal Regulation

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is affected by the Commercial Food Waste Disposal Regulation?

  The disposal regulation applies to organizations that sell food and dispose of it in garbage. Initial enforcement, started January 1, 2023 is focusing on organizations that produce large volumes of food waste and have it hauled to RDNO Diversion & Disposal Facilities in dedicated roll-off bins from their respective location. This includes large grocers and food processors that do not have measures in place to divert food waste from going into garbage. After July 1, 2023, further enforcement to loads coming from multiple sources and other sectors of the food service industry will be considered.     

• What materials does the regulation target?

  Materials targeted by this regulation include:

  • fruits and vegetables.
  • meat, fish, shellfish, poultry, bones and egg shells.
  • dairy products.
  • bread, pasta, rice and baked goods.
  • tea bags, coffee grounds and filters.
  • food soiled cardboard and paper.

  This regulation covers food waste that is generated before it is sold to customers and includes kitchen scraps, spoiled or expired food. The regulation does not include food and food soiled paper waste resulting from customers. Businesses may also choose to include customer generated food and food soiled paper waste in their food waste diversion program with consideration that these materials need to be separated from non-compostable food and food soiled paper, such as plastics, plastic lined cups/cartons and metals.

• How is the regulation enforced?

  Enforcement consists of periodic load inspections at RDNO Diversion & Disposal Facilities and emphasis will be on communication and education prior to surcharges being applied. Initially it is planned that enforcement will focus on loads that contain significant quantities of commercial food waste in roll-off bins hauled from their respective individual sites. After the first year of the proposed bylaw amendment (July 1, 2023) further reaching enforcement of lower thresholds and loads coming from multiple sources will be considered. 

• My organization produces a small amount of food waste; how would it be affected?

  Enforcement of this regulation focuses on organizations that sell food. Small amounts such as scraps from employee lunches are outside the scope of this regulation. However everyone and all organizations are encouraged to keep food waste out of garbage to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and landfilled waste, and conserve and recover resources that are beneficial to our communities and environment.

• How does one divert food scraps from garbage?

  There are several ways to divert food scraps from garbage:

  1. Start by reducing avoidable food waste which will save time and money. The following resources can help your organization save money, protect the environment and improve local food security:

  • BC Government has Food Waste Avoidance Toolkits to provide guidance for Food Service and Retail Sectors.
  • BC Centre for Disease Control has Industry Food Donation Guidelines for businesses planning on making food donations.
  • Several organizations are working to bring donors and recipients together to recover surplus food. These organizations include Food Mesh, Loop and Second Harvest. Find out about the about the North Okanagan Food Recovery Network.

  2.  Hire a Commercial Hauler to provide collection services and haul to a composting facility.

  3. Onsite Composting, organizations can compost food scraps on their premises using low or high tech systems that are capable of processing between 2 to 100 tonnes per year. This involves ongoing commitment by staff and management to manage and process compost, control odors and find uses for finished compost.  For more information on systems please check out the following resources:

  • On-Site Composting Review for Commercial & Institutional Sites, City of Nelson (full report available online evaluates several systems and describes best practices).
  • Cityfarmer.info website highlights onsite composting systems for multi-family and businesses.
• How much space is required to collect food scraps?

  It depends on how much food scraps your business produces and how frequent collection is. Also, keep in mind you may likely require less space for garbage collection when you divert food waste and/or less frequent collection frequency. Some organizations may choose to do a food waste audit themselves or have their hauling company provide an assessment.

• What are some questions I should be asking food scraps haulers before I consider hiring them?

  • What are the fees for the collection service (this depends on collection frequency and types of waste containers provided)?
  • How frequent are collections?
  • What types of materials are collected?
  • What are the fees for replacing missing or broken bins?
  • What is the fee for an additional unscheduled pickup?
  • What are the types and sizes of waste bins provided?
  • Are containers washed and if so how often and at what cost?
  • Is there any kind of odor control provided for containers?
  • Are containers lined with compostable plastic bags, biodegradable plastic bags or paper bags and are there extra costs for these liners?
  • Where would containers be placed?
  • What happens when there is a contaminated load with unaccepted items?
  • What happens to food scraps after they are collected?
  • Are the amounts collected periodically reported and to whom?
  • Do you provide additional containers such as kitchen catcher containers?
  • Do you provide educational materials such as posters, pamphlets, presentations or training sessions for staff?
• How much is the surcharge for Commercial Food Waste?

  Loads identified for a surcharge for Commercial Food Waste will be assessed a fee as Refuse Containing Regulated Material. The 2023 fee for Refuse Containing Regulated Material is $265/tonne compared to $110/tonne for Refuse. Enforcement of surcharges will be a last resort after haulers are informed of loads identified to be out of compliance.