Metro Vancouver has rolled out its updated Hey! Food Scraps Aren’t Garbage campaign, introducing new characters like Mr. Avocado Shell, Ms. Pineapple Top and Dr. Red Pepper to remind people that food scraps belong in the green bin.
The updated campaign builds on the success of the region’s organics ban, initiated in 2015. Between then and 2018, Metro Vancouver residents diverted about 1.6 million tonnes of organics from the landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over half a million tonnes. The organics recycling rate in Metro Vancouver stands at about 68%.
Nearly all single family and multi-family residences now have some form of organics collection. But while the program continues to be extremely successful, there is room for improvement. Metro Vancouver’s website includes new resources to help alleviate the confusion around composting, including a comprehensive list of what goes in the green bin (and what should stay out), tips to make green binning cleaner and more convenient, and links to information about municipal food scraps recycling programs.
Metro Vancouver is reminding residents, for instance, to keep plastics out of the bin. Plastic bags, containers, produce stickers and cutlery, even those labeled ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’ may not break down fully at compost processing facilities and can contaminate the finished compost. Read more about plastics in the green bin here.
Residents are also encouraged to engage with Metro Vancouver via Instagram using the hashtag, #GreenBinQandA to have their questions answered.