Organic Food Waste Collection
The average Canadian household throws away about 140 kilograms of food waster per year (National Zero Waste Council). In 2016 the census indicated that there are around 27,766 households in Medicine Hat. That is about 8,887,240 kilograms of food waste that could be feedstock to our worms. This valuable resource can be utilized and turned into a valuable biologically diverse soil amendment. At TRAD we want to minimize food waste being lost to the landfill and help households live a more sustainable life through (worms) vermicomposting.
FOOD WASTE RECOVERY
FOOD WASTE IS A VALUABLE RESOURCE!
At TRAD, we assist locals (Medicine Hat & Area) in diverting food waste from landfills and return it to the earth without environmental pollution. The byproduct your waste creates improves soil, providing better growth of beautiful flora and fauna, without the use of harmful chemicals, just like nature intended.
Our hassle-free curbside pick-up options allow your home's food waste to utilized, thereby reducing your home's environmental impact and landfill waste. Go Green With TRAD Today!
The Details - We Have 3 Options for You
Weekly Food Waste
Pick-Up
Every Tuesday we pick up your numbered pail and replace it with a clean one. We weigh the pail and upload it to your file (which can be public or private). You can track it so you can see how much waste you have saved from the landfill.
Bi-Weekly Food Waste
Pick-Up
Every other Tuesday we
pick-up your numbered pail and replace it with a clean one. We weigh the pail and upload it to your file (which can be public or private). You can track it so you can see how much waste you have saved from the landfill.
Worm Bed Bi-Weekly Pick-Up
Every other Tuesday we pick up your worm bed filled with about 1000 worms. Following each pick up, we weigh the worm bed and continuously track the volume of diverted organics. You can see the worms working right in your home. So cool!
What Can Worms Really Eat?
The Compostable Material List
01/
Coffee grinds and paper filters
02/
Tea - both loose and in bags
03/
All vegetables and fruit (including pits)(can be spoiled)
04/
Pruned leaves and branches
05/
Paper towel/toilet paper rolls
06/
Paper towels (no antimicrobial cleaners please)
07/
Expired dry goods ie: pasta, rice, legumes etc.
08/
Dryer lint, vacuum cleaner contents
09/
Pet fur
10/
Wooden/bamboo skewers and popsicle sticks
11/
Paper plates/wooden cutlery
12/
Compostable "plastic" bags
13/
Shredded paper/shredded cardboard
14/
Paper take-out cups (timmies, starbucks etc.)
The Fine Print
Each food waste participant will get a clean 5-gallon bucket that we have rescued from the waste stream. This bucket will be assigned and numbered and this will be how we track your waste saved. Every Tuesday you will leave your filled bucket at a convenient place outside for pick-up. We will replace it with a clean numbered bucket.
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If the pick-up date falls on a holiday we will pick it up the Wednesday after the holiday. If the roads are terrible due to weather we will email by 8 am on the morning of and defer pick-up to the Wednesday after, no worries if the bucket freezes.
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Please put only compostable material in the bucket, if strange non-compostable items are put in the buckets we will send you a friendly email to help you remember what is best for our worms. If there is a continued history of non-compliance (3 reminders), TRAD has a right to terminate the contract with the customer. Also if you, as a customer are not happy with the service, you can terminate your contract with us. We will pick up the final bucket up on that next Tuesday depending if it's weekly. No harm, no foul.
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The contents of your waste must be contained in the 5-gallon bucket. The lid also needs to be completely closed, nothing worse than picking a bucket, heaving it into the truck and wearing a week old coffee ground hat, ugh. If you know you are going to have a larger than average amount of refuse (your vegetarian kid is coming home for the holidays and is bringing 6 of her friends, I know, I've got one of those) we can leave you an extra bucket for an additional $5 just send us an email.
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You can also suspend your service if you will be away, just email us and let us know. Roxanne@tradwormindustries.org.
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Customers will be automatically billed on the last day of each month (credit card, ETF, or post-dated cheques, whatever works for you!). All customers can opt-out at any time, but the final bill will not be processed until the last day of the month, even if opting out is in the middle of the pick-up cycle. ALL requests must be through email. This is to protect both of us so that there is a physical copy of everything. The buckets/lids are the property of TRAD Worm Industries.
Now a thank you from us! After a year (12 months consecutively or some suspended service) you will receive 8 liters of castings as a thank you, approximately a $30 value, so you get a month for FREE. Free stuff is the best! If you do not need the castings we will donate them to the Medicine Hat Food Bank's community garden. Thank you so much!
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