Household Composting Pilot Program

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Household Composting Pilot Program

The Village of Haines Junction is supporting a household composting pilot program. To date, 60 FoodCycler units have been provided to individual households in Haines Junction at a reduced rate.

At their March 27, 2024 Meeting, Council directed Administration to proceed with one final order of 30 FoodCyclers under this pilot program. The FoodCyclers have been ordered and are in the process of being shipped to Haines Junction. Those who have placed an order will be notified once the units have arrived.

The Village has also placed a bulk order of filter refills that are being shipped along with the additional units. Filter refills will soon available for sale at the Village office for a discounted price of $12.50 plus tax. The regular price when ordered directly from FoodCycler Online is $18.50 plus tax and plus shipping fee. This is a limited opportunity, and replacement filters will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If you would like to purchase a FoodCycler unit from our final order, please register for the waitlist using the following registration form. We will contact you if a unit becomes available.
If you would like to order filter refills, please stop by the Village Office after May 15th.

Thank you Haines Junction residents for your enthusiastic response to this program! Your participation helps to extend the life of our landfill, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Why is the Village supporting this pilot program?

Composting removes up to 40% from the household waste stream, extending the lifespan of our landfill. On average, a household produces roughly 1 tonne of waste per year. Thirty households participating in this program could divert 12 tonnes of food waste.

Every tonne of food waste diverted from the landfill is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 tonnes of C0₂ before transportation emissions. Based on this, 30 households could divert approximately 14.4 tonnes greenhouse gas emissions.

What is a FoodCycler?

A FoodCycler can transform organic waste into compost amendment right in our own homes and offices. The end product claims to be free from bacteria and weed seeds and food-borne pathogens are eliminated in the process. Each "cycle" of composting in the FoodCycler takes approximately 4 to 8 hours

Power consumption:

The FoodCycler uses only 0.8 to 1.5 kWh of electricity. According to ATCO Electric Yukon's online bill calculator,

At a usage rate of 0.8 kWh of electricity per cycle, it costs $0.10 (ten cents) to run a cycle on the FC-30 unit
At a usage rate of 1.5kWh of electricity per cycle, it costs $0.18 (eighteen cents) to run a cycle on the Maestro unit

What are the benefits of this technology?

Reduces waste volume by up to 90%
Quiet, compact, and odourless operation
Easy to clean, easy to operate, no special training or skills required
Relatively quick process and available year-round (compared to composting)
Produces valuable compost amendment that is fully-dry, low in odour and less attractive to wildlife
Low emissions compared to direct landfilling (reduced methane production, low power consumption, no transport emissions)

How does it work?

Place your food waste into the FoodCycler™ bucket. The FoodCycler™ can take almost any type of food waste, including fruit and vegetable scraps, meat, fish, dairy, bones, shells, pits, coffee grinds and filters, and even paper towels.
Place the FoodCycler™ bucket into your FoodCycler™ unit. The FoodCycler™can be used anywhere with a plug such as a kitchen countertop, basement, laundry room, heated garage, etc.
Press Start. In 8 hours or less, your food waste will be transformed into compost amendment that can integrated back into your garden. The cycle runs quietly and with no odours or GHG emissions.