VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – You won’t be able to throw any food waste in the garbage in a little over two years when a Metro Vancouver ban on organics in landfills comes into effect.

The city of Vancouver itself is getting a head start. A pilot project that was introduced two years ago is being expanded to include 90,000 homes.

It allows homeowners to compost any food waste — everything from meat bones to pizza boxes — whereas most residents have had to throw it in the garbage. The city says nearly 40 per cent of the garbage we send to the landfill is food scraps or otherwise compostable material.

Mayor Gregor Robertson hopes to soon include apartment buildings and businesses.

“Several buildings have been in a trial now,” he says. “I’m expecting to hear back from staff next month on the results of that trial and recommendations for accelerating so that we offer that opportunity to all residents and businesses.”

There is no added cost to taxpayers. It all falls under the city’s existing sanitation budget.

Food scraps must be wrapped in newspaper or be put in paper bag liners with their yard waste. They will be picked up with your weekly garbage collection.

Plastics are strictly forbidden in the composting system, even if they’re bags labelled ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’.

Newly accepted waste includes: meat, fish, bones, dairy, bread, cooked items, and food soiled paper such as napkins, pizza boxes, and paper plates.