Cold Lake residents may soon have the opportunity to participate in a countertop food recycling initiative, as council considers a pilot program that aims to bring FoodCycler™ composting machines into local households at a discounted rate.
During a presentation to council in August, details of the FoodCycler™ Pilot Program were shared, outlining how the portable composting machines could be distributed to residents though a municipal subsidy. The machines are designed to process food scraps, converting them into a dry, sterile, soil-like by-product within four to eight hours, typically overnight. This by-product can be used in gardens or added to residential green bins for collection.
“It’s a neat concept,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “We’re curious to see what kind of interest we get back from the community.”
Council is considering subsidizing 100 FoodCycler™ units to kick off the program. Interested residents would sign up and pay a portion of the cost, with the municipality covering $100 per unit. This would lower the price of the smaller composting units to $200 and the larger units to $300, down from their original prices of $700 and $800. Smaller units are designated for households with one to three people, while larger units are suited for bigger households.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve our environmental footprint,” added Copeland. “And there are a lot of positive economic impacts from recyclers like these.”
Once the pilot program concludes, participants will be able to keep the composting machines. The council hopes the program will gauge community interest in countertop composting and provide valuable insights for future waste management strategies.
More information on how residents can sign up for the program will be available as the program launch approaches.
