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Banff looks to assist food rescue

BANFF – The Town of Banff is looking at ways to help Banff Food Rescue accept more edible foods rather than businesses sending them to landfill or compost.

BANFF – The Town of Banff is looking at ways to help Banff Food Rescue accept more edible foods rather than businesses sending them to landfill or compost.

Town council has directed administration to bring back specific budgets for increased support for Banff Food Rescue, though it’s not yet clear what role the municipality would play.

Officials say the Town could explore further ways to support Banff Food Rescue in its efforts to expand into a non-residential space with greater storage, a cooler and food handling space, so it can collect more edible foods from businesses.

“There are large non-residential entities that have asked to donate edible food to Banff Food Rescue, but Banff Food Rescue has needed to decline their offer due to space limitations,” said Shannon Ripley, the Town’s environmental coordinator.

“The Town may be able to help facilitate discussions and collaboration among various non-residential entities to support finding a solution to this current community need.”

Currently, businesses can call Banff Food Rescue and request a pickup of edible food. Banff Food Rescue has been operating on a volunteer basis out of one volunteer’s home.

Ripley said there is a strong social and environmental case for sending edible foods to Banff Food Rescue rather than the waste and compost streams – but there’s also an economic perspective.

She said there’s no current budget for this because there are many unknowns regarding what the Town’s role may be in providing additional support to Banff Food Rescue.

But, she said, one example is a contribution of $10,000 per year, which would lead to a five per cent decline in food waste, would have a diversion cost of $130/tonne ­– less than the current cost to manage food in the non-residential waste stream of $200/tonne.

“Every tonne of food diverted to Banff Food Rescue is a tonne of materials that do not need to be handled by Town of Banff Resource Recovery staff, or shipped to either the compost facility or landfill,” said Ripley.

During eight months of Food Rescue operation in 2016-17, the non-profit organization on average diverted 2,700 kilograms of food each month to more than 1,200 people per month.

Ripley said this is equivalent to the diversion of more than 32 tonnes of edible food each year.

“Diversion of food through Banff Food Rescue is a much preferred option for edible food items than placement in the food waste bin for composting, or the waste bin for landfilling,” she said.

Alanna Pettigrew, who heads up Banff Food Rescue, said she’s not in a position to comment because she does not know the Town of Banff’s plan at this point.

“I am happy to see that they recognize that the food diverted from the landfill has an impact, both economically and in a human services manner,” she said.

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