Food waste: Are you planning more and wasting less?
Consultation has concluded
The food waste survey is now closed.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the Food Waste Survey. The results are now available.
This suvery was conducted in conjunction with Waste Reduction Week in Canada and ran from Oct. 19 to Nov. 2, 2020. The survey was designed to help the City learn how you are managing food waste at home.
The following information provided some background on food waste in Spruce Grove and Canada, and was available for residents to read before completing the survey.
Food waste in Spruce Grove:
In Spruce Grove, all food waste that is disposed of in the green organics cart is sent to a composting facility where it is turned into compost and sold to local farmers and gardeners to grow more food.
According to the City’s 2019 Residential Waste Audit, only 21 per cent of all food waste is properly disposed of in the green organics cart. That means 79 per cent is being sent to landfill. In total, almost half of what Spruce Grove residents throw in the garbage is food waste and compostable papers, which should be placed in the green organics cart.
A changing trend in food waste across Canada:
According to a recent survey conducted by Love Food Hate Waste Canada, a non-profit group that works with organizations across the country to reduce their food waste, Canadians are throwing out less food as a result of COVID-19.
The survey stated that to reduce their exposure to COVID-19, people are shopping less frequently but buying more in one trip. They are thinking more about what they are buying and trying to use up what they have before heading to the store again.
Recognizing this changing trend in food waste across Canada, the City is interested to learn if COVID-19 has had similar impacts on residents' waste diversion habits.
Additional information on food waste can be found on the right side panel!
