Winnipeg's waste stream is 44% food, but citywide composting could cut its climate impact: report

While grocery bills rise, food is still being wasted in Winnipeg — and a new report says nearly half of that greenhouse gas-producing waste is avoidable.

Food waste from single-family households made up about 44 per cent of Winnipeg's waste stream, according to 2019 measurements in the inaugural Winnipeg Food System Snapshot report being presented at city hall this week. 

"Food that is wasted ... a lot of that is edible," said Jeanette Sivilay. 

Sivilay is co-ordinator of the Winnipeg Food Council, a citizen advisory committee made up of volunteer experts from across the food system. The council looked at food waste as part of the report.

The council estimated that avoidable food waste costs the average Canadian household more than $1,100 per year.

For many Winnipeggers looking to reign in their growing grocery costs, that's a tough number to swallow. 

"It's scary," Janine Laforte said. "It's not good for the environment, but it's also not good for our budget. I'm a big believer in kind of using up everything that you have and and not wasting things."

Laforte is a Winnipeg-based registered dietitian and mom of three teenagers. She also teaches workshops on how to do meal prep and get the most out of what you have. 

"So you can imagine my grocery bill is through the roof," she said.

"I do everything I can to not waste food because you're right, it's like throwing money in the garbage."

The food snapshot report found that while many cities, like Winnipeg, have analyzed the types of materials that end up in the waste stream, few have done comprehensive food waste assessments.

"This lack of information is a barrier to developing strategies to reduce food loss and waste," the report stated. 

The Food Council also works on education, and teaching residents how to get more out of their food, including "fun in the kitchen, food literacy in the kitchen, while also making your dollar stretch further," Sivilay said.

Wasted food means wasted resources used to grow, produce and distribute that food to consumers. However, not everything can be saved from being thrown out and ending up in the landfill.