Following the end of the 12 week pilot Food Recycler Program, program participants are reminded to complete the exit survey by this Friday, March 10, to help the town work toward expanding the landfill site and explore future waste diversion opportunities.
A link has been sent to those program participants who will be requested to fill out a form through Survey Monkey. The survey collects data about the type of household in which the FoodCycler machine was used and on the perceived importance of waste reduction.
Travis Rob, Manager of Operations and Facilities for the town, said the survey should only take around five minutes to complete but will offer a host of valuable information to the town’s decision-makers.
“As the Town is working toward an expanded landfill site we hope to get a better understanding of how compost can be a tool to look at diverting waste from the landfill site going forward. Based on that information we can look to more programs like this in the future to support residents in their diversion efforts,” he said.
FoodCycle Science will be processing the data and reviewing it against other communities, heh said, “to report back on not only how we did but looking at how we compare to other communities who have also participated in this program.”
In about two weeks, Rob will have a meeting with FoodCycle Science and hopes to have a report prepared for the Operations and Facilities Executive Committee in the month of April.
“The more data we can have from residents on usage of the equipment the better, the more diverse sample set of families versus individuals or couples helps to formulate how diversion can be extrapolated to broader family groups through the community,” he said.
To the households who plan to continue using their FoodCycler machine, Rob said that replacement filter kits are available for purchase at the Fort Frances General Supply.
In the spring, any users that need somewhere to deposit the material can drop off their by-products at a bin to be set up at the Community Garden.
“I hope you have been enjoying your machine and thank you for your participation in, not only the program but for taking steps to divert waste from our municipal landfill site,” Rob said.
The FoodCycler initiative is an alternative to traditional composting, helping cut down the amount of food waste going to landfills by reducing the volume of food waste by 90 per cent, turning it into an odorless and nutrient-rich soil additive that can be used as fertilizer.
A limited supply of FoodCycle machines are still available for purchase at the reduced price for Fort Frances residents.
Those interested in a unit can arrange for one by calling Public Works at 807-274-9893, Rob said.
