Commercial Food Waste Collection
The Town of Canmore is offering a pick-up service for food waste from restaurants and other businesses.
How it Works
We will provide participating businesses with 240 L roll carts (see photo below). We also have a 120 L roll cart option for those businesses with limited space. You decide the number of carts you need and how frequently you would like them picked up. If you need an extra pick-up, you can contact us to arrange with 24 hours notice. Your scheduled pick-ups can be changed to account for seasonal variability.
Getting Food Waste Collection Started at your Business
- Contact the us to get started at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
- We will arrange a site visit to determine where the roll carts will be collected from and to answer any questions you may have. Please note that food waste roll carts will need to be stored indoors or in an animal-proof enclosure.
- Consider how you will collect your food waste. For example, in a restaurant, are you collecting from the food prep area or also including plate scrapings from the front of house? Will you use smaller bins in the prep area and transfer them to the roll carts?
- Confirm your initial collection schedule with us and the number of roll carts you require.
- We will deliver the roll carts and educational materials for staff and customers.
- Collection will start on your chosen date. Remember, you can contact us if you need to change your schedule or request an extra pick-up in between scheduled times.
Pricing
The collection service will cost $10 per cart pick up. To help encourage businesses to participate, and recognizing it may take a few weeks to determine the best collection schedule, we are offering an introductory price of $5 per cart pick up for the first month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can go into the roll cart for composting?
All cooked and raw food, including meat and bones, coffee grounds and filters, paper napkins, wooden stir sticks and chopsticks, and certified compostable take-away food containers. For restaurants, this means almost all of your waste can be composted instead of landfilled. We will provide an Accepted/Not Accepted list for staff.
How do I figure out how many roll carts and pick ups I need?
This will in part be dictated by how much space you have for the carts. We can advise you based on other restaurants that have food waste collection, however, it may need a few weeks to determine an ideal schedule. You can start by paying attention to how much garbage you are currently producing. Typically, a restaurant’s food waste is 50-80% of garbage. Generally, a 240 L roll cart holds about 100-150 lbs of food waste.
What are the dimensions of the roll carts?
The 240 L bin dimensions are: Depth – 71.6 cm, Width – 61.6 cm, Height – 108.6 cm. The 120 L bin dimensions are: Depth – 53.5 cm, Width – 48.6 cm, Height – 95.5 cm.
Won't the roll cart get dirty?
We have bulk purchased compostable bin liners and will offer them at cost to any business who would like to use them. These liners will help keep the carts clean and prevent food from freezing to the inside. If you would like to use them, we will replace the bin liners in your cart each time they are collected.
How do I pay?
It is preferred that you set up pre-authorized payment. You will be charged on a quarterly basis for the number of pick ups you had during the previous period.
Where will my food waste go?
Collected food waste will go to the Canmore Waste Management Centre and then will be transferred to a compost facility north of Calgary.
Doesn’t all this driving just create more greenhouse gas emissions than composting?
Food waste and other organic material creates methane when buried in a landfill. Methane contributes to climate change much more so than carbon dioxide so the benefits of diverting food waste to composting far outweigh the impacts of any additional transportation required.
What about the added cost for my business?
Ideally, the cost for food waste collection will be offset by the decrease in garbage. For food service businesses there should be very little residual garbage after diverting food waste to composting. We understand that not all businesses pay for garbage collection directly or may be locked into contracts with waste haulers that will not allow for a decrease in garbage pick ups or bin sizes. Food waste diversion programs exist in many Canadian cities and businesses often participate because of their environmental values, staff attraction and retention, customer appreciation or other non-financial benefits. Costs can also be decreased by working to reduce the amount of food waste generated or by participating in food recovery programs.
