GUELPH – Guelph has received a $500,000 grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Green Municipal Fund to reduce food waste.
The funding will support three pilot programs: food redistribution, organics collection and energy generation.
Starting this month, a food redistribution program will capture surplus edible food and redistribute it to charity organizations using the B12Give app.
An ongoing organics collection project expands a cooperative model for organics collection in the Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (IC&I) sector to divert food waste from landfills.
An energy generation project explores the feasibility of generating energy from organics processing through anaerobic digestion.
Implementation
This funding will offer the City of Guelph the tools to implement a holistic and circular solution to food waste from the IC&I sector, keeping food at its highest value through surplus edible food donations, while also driving affordability of organic waste diversion services.
This will be especially significant for smaller and mid-sized IC&I establishments that are typically charged significant premiums to access organics services.
“We are very pleased to receive the FCM grant as we continue to strive to minimize food waste in Guelph,” states Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie in a press release.
“This represents an important step towards our vision for an inclusive, connected, prosperous city where we look after each other and our environment.
“Not only will we be able to save surplus edible food that is being unnecessarily discarded, but we can also redirect it to community agencies and organizations to distribute it to those who need food assistance.”
“There is excitement and momentum to pursue these projects to the benefit of our city and communities,” states Guelph CAO Tara Baker.
“We are living in times that require smart solutions to help improve the sustainability of our resources.”
Background studies
The 2021 Food Material Flow Study identified the IC&I sector as a major source of food waste in Guelph-Wellington, producing 16,500 tonnes annually, which is over 45% of the total food waste.
A 2022 feasibility study explored interventions for economic, environmental, social, and well-being outcomes.
The $500,000 funding, achieved with Circular Innovation Council and Dillon Consulting, supports three pilot projects based on these studies to reduce IC&I food waste.
Green Municipal Fund
FCM’s Green Municipal Fund is a globally unique organization providing funding and education to municipalities to help them both reach net-zero and build resilient communities, while also delivering economic and social benefits such as jobs, housing and infrastructure.
Since inception in 2000, it has helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.9 million tonnes, and contributed $1.24 billion to the national GDP via the more than 2,300 approved projects.
