Turning food scraps into 'foodilizer': What northwestern Ontario communities are doing to repurpose waste

Several municipalities in northwestern Ontario are partnering with a Canadian company that's working with municipalities across the country to help residents get rid of their food scraps in a more sustainable — and less smelly — way. 

Food Cycle Science Corporation, based in Ottawa, makes electronic devices called FoodCyclers that grind and dehydrate food waste, reducing it to 90 per cent of its original weight and volume in under eight hours. It's an alternative to compost that's sustainable and largely odourless.

"What you're left with is a dry, sterile, nutrient-rich soil amendment that can be used instead of fertilizer in gardening applications," said Jessica Taylor, Food Cycle's municipal program manager.

Taylor said the company is working with 44 municipalities — and counting — across Canada, and is now branching into the U.S. In northwestern Ontario, these include Neebing, Fort Frances, Terrace Bay, Red Lake and Kenora.

Municipalities start with a 12-week trial run, where residents purchase FoodCyclers and track their usage and how much waste is diverted. When Food Cycle reports back the findings, local councils decide whether to expand to more households.

There are two types of FoodCyclers:

The 2.5-litre FC-30, best for individuals or couples, and the five-litre Maestro, recommended for larger households. They're designed to last between six and seven years, and seven and 10 years, respectively.

The municipal program helps smaller municipalities that can't afford a curbside compost program or whose landfills are close to being full. It's also appealing to more rural communities where residents are hesitant to do backyard composting because of wildlife, said Taylor.

"We can really create these custom solutions for municipalities based on their needs," she said.

The City of Nelson, B.C. said if its next pilot project with 1,600 FoodCyclers is successful, it will buy more devices and distribute them to all local residents by 2024.

The Municipality of Red Lake did its first 12-week trial from August to October 2022. The results determined 110 households would divert about 242 kilograms of food waste a year.

The municipality's waste disposal site was capped and closed in 2017. Since then, the community's waste has been going 70 kilometres southeast to the landfill in Ear Falls, and the transportation isn't cheap, said Red Lake Coun. Janet Hager.

Red Lake's pilot project with Food Cycle began after councillors found out about the the City of Kenora's partnership with the company.

"Normally, we would transfer anywhere up to like … 520,000 [kilograms of waste] down to Ear Falls each year, so any reduction in that per household is very beneficial," said Hager.