Speaker: Courtney Daniels Session: Reduction of Waste in the Food System, Municipal and Ministry of Environment Strategies

1. Getting SM4RTer about Food Waste
Bring Food Home Conference
November 19, 2013
Courtney Daniels
Program Manager,
SM4RT LIVING Solid Waste Master Plan
York Region

2. York Region – At a Glance
•
•
•
•
2
1.1 million residents
9 local municipalities
Urban and rural areas
Joint responsibility for
waste management

3. The SM4RT LIVING Plan
 A comprehensive program for
managing waste in York Region for
the next 25‐40 years
 Focus on reduction and reuse as the
major opportunities for innovation
 Builds partnerships and community
connections to deliver common
objectives

4. Where is Food Waste Happening?
$27 Billion
worth of food
is wasted
every year
Half of all food waste occurs at home
Source: Value Chain Management Centre, 2010

5. The full cost of food waste
Production
Consumer costs
Disposal costs

6. How much edible food are we throwing in
the green bin?
Food waste is costing York Region households an average of $700 ‐ $1500 a year

7. What is the Region’s business case for a
food waste strategy?
“The environmental costs of letting good
food go to waste are staggering.
Governments can’t reach into our homes
and force us to eat our crusts, but they
should be providing us with the knowledge,
tools and incentives to help us to stop
wasting food”
Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of
Ontario (October 2012)
How are York residents disposing of their
food waste?

8. Focus for York Region
• Residents
• Municipal
facilities
Image Source: US EPA and USDA

9. The Story behind Household Food Waste
Fruit and vegetable waste
Uneaten leftovers
Plate scrapings
Soiled paper products
Spoiled produce
Food past its best before date
Diapers
Pet waste
We asked York residents: “what are
the biggest contributors to your
green bin waste?”
Animal bones/meat waste
Food/kitchen waste (unspecified
Coffee grinds/tea bags
No one specific thing
Other
Don't know
York Region survey results reflect similar trends to research in the UK and US

10. What we heard from the community
“When we start to acknowledge and really
value the process that brings food to our
tables, our relationship to food changes ‐ for
the better.”
“Some of the things we were
doing were embarrassing and
hard to admit, like the amount of
food we waste in a week…”
“I was making at least three shopping trips a
week…. Now I make one trip each week
because I’m better organized; we waste less
food and spend less time and money and as
a result, we have more time together as a
family. “

11. What’s happening in other communities?

12. Where do we start?
Food waste
audits
Surveys and
Focus groups
Pilot Projects
Food Waste Reduction Campaign

13. Where do we want to be?
Food Waste
Reduction
Campaign
15% reduction in green bin material by 2031

14. Courtney Daniels
Courtney.Daniels@york.ca
905‐830‐4444 x5013
www.york.ca/waste