Residential food waste prevention

On average, and often without realizing it, British Columbians throw away 1 out of every 4 bags of groceries that we buy. This adds up to more than $1,100 of food from our homes each year; food which could have otherwise been eaten. For Canada as a whole, that amounts to almost 2.2 million tonnes of edible food wasted each year.

In B.C., Regional Districts are responsible for solid waste management planning and this includes managing food waste disposal. As a result, many local governments in B.C. have programs, such as curbside food scraps collection services, that pick up food waste. Many local governments have also banned food scraps from disposal. However, B.C. local government waste composition studies show that food waste is still ending up in our landfills where it releases harmful greenhouse gases.

Provincial partnership

The good news is that food waste can be prevented. The Province is a proud and founding partner of the national food waste prevention initiative, Love Food Hate Waste Canada, under which the provincial government has developed a provincial partnership model. Through this partnership interested local governments can gain access to a range of communications materials and other helpful resources.

Provincial Love Food Hate Waste partners

Resources

Learn how much food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and how much energy, water, agricultural land and other resources are wasted when food is wasted:

Learn more by watching:

Learn more about Canada’s Food Policy:

Get inspired by these Canadians and start your own food waste reduction initiative: