Cold Lake, AB – Council is looking into a pilot program for a countertop food recycling program for Cold Lake residents.

A presentation to council in August detailed the FoodCycler™ Pilot Program, which brings the portable composting machines into the hands of residents through municipal discount and subsidy.

“It’s a neat concept,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “We’re curious to see what kind of interest we get back from the community.”

FoodCycler™ bins work by collecting and processing food scraps, turning it into dry, sterile, odourless, soil-like by-product after running for four to eight hours – typically overnight. This soil-like product can then be collected for garden use or tossed in a residential green bin for collection.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve our environmental footprint,” said Copeland. “And there are a lot of positive economic impacts from recyclers like these.”

Council is looking at subsidizing 100 units to start, likely through a sign-up program where residents interested in participating can register and pay their portion of the program cost.

With the municipality covering the cost of $100 per unit, the automatic composting bins are discounted to $200 and $300 – down from $700 and $800 respectively – depending on the unit’s size. Smaller units are recommended for households with one to three people, while larger units are recommended for larger households. After the pilot program has completed, residents are welcome to keep the composters.

More information about signing up for the food recycler program will be made available as the program gets closer to being launched.

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