Kitchen catchers coming to Burnaby residents this fall

This fall, Burnaby residents who receive garbage and recycling pickup service from the City of Burnaby will be given countertop kitchen catcher containers to make it easy to recycle their food scraps.

This program is part of the City’s efforts to boost Burnaby’s rate of organic waste recycling, diverting compostable material out of landfills and into recycling facilities.

These compact containers make it easy to collect compostable waste like food scraps, bones and food-soiled paper in the kitchen before being emptied into the larger green bin before collection day. 

Diverting food scraps from landfills is an essential part of meeting the City’s ambitious Climate Action goals for reducing emissions. When buried in landfills, food scraps and other organic waste emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. In contrast, food scraps which are properly recycled into compost create a fraction of the harmful carbon emissions, and are converted into valuable resources like compost and fertilizer. 

While food scraps have been banned from the garbage region-wide since 2015, the last audit of Burnaby’s solid waste revealed that compostable food scraps still make up 30% of Burnaby’s residential garbage. By limiting mess and odours and making it easier to recycle, the City expects to see a significant reduction in the amount of food waste entering landfills. 

Kitchen catchers will begin arriving on September 6, and continue through early fall, with deliveries expected to be complete by late October. Residents who receive curbside pickup of their garbage and recycling will have their kitchen catchers delivered directly. Residents living in multi-family buildings which receive the City’s weekly collection service will have their kitchen catchers distributed by their building’s management. 

Burnaby residences with registered secondary suites will have two kitchen catchers delivered to the primary address - residents of secondary suites are encouraged to coordinate with the occupant of the primary unit to receive their kitchen catcher.

Burnaby residents who need a replacement or did not receive one initially can visit the Eco-Centre at 4855 Still Creek Drive with proof of residency (like a driver’s license or a utility bill to a Burnaby address) to receive a kitchen catcher.

Read more: Burnaby.ca/FoodScraps