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.

• B.C. Residential Food Waste Prevention toolkit (PDF, 7.4 MB)

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.

• Visit Love Food Hate Waste Canada to learn more and for practical tips and guidance to prevent food waste.
• Watch the short video "Too Good to Waste", to understand the importance of keeping food waste out of our landfills.

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:

• Characterization and Management of Food Loss and Waste in North America
• The Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste
• Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations – Food Wastage Footprint
• Drawdown – Reduced Food Waste saving GHG emissions
• The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste

Learn more by watching:

• The global food waste scandal - Tristram Stuart
• Wasted! The Story of Food Waste

Learn more about Canada’s Food Policy:

• A Food Policy for Canada

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

• Fifteen Canadian Initiatives Trying to Reduce Food Waste