North Okanagan Regional District eyes bylaw forcing businesses to compost food waste by 2021

NORTH OKANAGAN – The Regional District Of North Okanagan has drafted a plan to force all commercial enterprises to compost their food waste by the end of 2021.

If put into place, the ban would require all industrial, commercial, and institutional establishments to divert their food waste from regional district landfills.

According to a regional district report, the plan would be implemented slowly over two years from January 2021 to December 2022, and enforcement would take a "soft" approach.

Regional district directors voted for staff to prepare a report looking at the implications of a ban at its May 15 meeting. The report states the regional district will engage in a consultation process starting in July and spend six months working with current garbage hauling companies, businesses which generate food waste, and composting facilities before drawing up a framework for the ban.

The report says the regional district would lose $150,000 in tipping fee revenues in the first year if 3,000 tonnes of organic waste was prevented from going to landfill. This number is expected to rise to $550,000 by 2023, based on 5,000 tonnes being kept out of the landfill. The report states the regional district could save $350,000 a year in costs associated with the increased lifespan of its landfills. 

Regional District staff recommend, "consulting and collaborating up front," phasing the ban in slowly, and "not enforcing with a heavy hand," says the report.

The report also states if an extra member of staff is needed to implement the ban the position would be temporary for one year at the cost of $96,000, including benefits and overheads.

Region District directors are scheduled to vote on whether to move forward with the draft June 19.

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