Farah Sheriffdeen, Municipal Program Coordinator, Food Cycle Science Corporation provided an update to Council on the FoodCycler pilot program.
Sheriffdeen reported that with support from Impact Canada's Food Waste Reduction Challenge, a pilot program was run in Huron-Kinloss. The pilot included subsidization by the Municipal Innovation Council with support from Bruce Power. The net cost to the Township was $6000.00. The Program ran from May - August 2023 and participants tracked their usage and completed a survey at the end of 12 weeks. The participants provided data and feedback to assist in calculating the total waste diversion over the 12 week pilot program.
The 125 FoodCyclers in the pilot program reported the equivalent of 18.8 metric tonnes of food waste diverted/year, and an estimated 21.3 fewer garbage bags per household generated for the landfill. 90% of participants would recommend the FoodCycler to others and will continue using it.
Council inquired about how much final product is created from each processing, Sheriffdeen reported that there is an approximate 90% reduction by weight and volume from original materials.
Council also inquired about whether the product could be used directly in gardening, but were informed that the product is best used mixed and the ratio would depend on the type of materials being processed.
Council inquired about whether a continuation of the program would include grants or subsidies or if the cost would be borne by municipalities alone. The pilot pricing is still available at a $100 cost to the Township and $150 or $300 (depending on the type of unit they choose) to end user. Another model of Foodcycler may soon be available at an additionally reduced price. The Food Cycle Science Corporation is investigating current grant opportunities that may be available to also subsidize the product, to encourage participation.