The city will soon seek consultation with restaurants, hotels, grocery stores and food producers to implement a compost program.
As the city moves towards instituting composting for the industrial, commercial and institutional sector, the plan will begin with those businesses which produce the most significant portion of the current garbage stream that can be diverted to compostable waste.
Metro Vancouver plans to ban all compostables from the garbage stream by the end of 2015, and the Fraser Valley Regional District is likely to institute a similar ban.
On Jan. 1, 2013, Abbotsford implemented a residential compost program which is predicted to divert 11,000 tonnes of organic waste in the first year.
Abbotsford’s initial non-residential program will focus on the food service and processing sectors, which the city estimates could divert 10,000 tonnes of compost annually if put in place.
The city will consult with other municipalities, the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and food service and process businesses early this year.
City staff will report back to council in June with results of the consultation and discuss the schedule for final decision-making and implementation.