Vancouver Landfill Compost Sales
The City of Vancouver sells compost produced from yard and garden trimmings at the Vancouver Landfill Composting Facility.
| Product | Price per cubic meter (m³) |
|---|---|
$10 per cubic meter
$5 minimum charge |
Note: Compost sales at the scales are calculated by weight.
Compost Pick Up
Compost can be picked up from the Landfill during regular operating hours. Shovels are available on site. Bring your own containers. A loader is available to load residential vehicles between 7:30 am and 4:45 pm daily at the Residential Drop Off area. For quantities over 11 m³, a loader is available between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm daily at the Composting Facility.
Compost Delivery
Volumes of 6 m³ or more can be delivered. Delivery charges vary depending on the volume ordered and destination. For customers wanting to share a load, compost can be dumped in two locations for an additional charge provided they are reasonably close to each other. If the load is to be dumped on your property, a completed damage waiver will be required prior to delivery. Call 3-1-1 (or 604.873.7000 outside of Vancouver City limits) to make arrangements for delivery.
Payment
For quantities of compost less than 6 m³, payment is at the weighscales. For quantities of compost greater than 6 m³, please contact the Landfill Administration Office at 3-1-1 (or 604.873.7000 outside of Vancouver City limits).
Donations
Requests for compost donations may be granted for community-based projects on public and private lands in Vancouver and Delta. Staff review these projects on a case by case basis. Call 604.873.7204 for donations on public lands. For compost donations on private lands, the criteria are that the garden must be new (new this year), it must be a community effort that involves many people (e.g. neighbours or a church congregation), and it must grow food. It is also encouraged that community gardens receiving compost donations are accessible to the public; for example, that the public may wander through the garden.
To request a compost donation for a community garden that meets this criteria and is located on private land, please email foodpolicy@vancouver.ca
Compost Quality
Compost quality is compared to standards set out in the Ministry of Environment’s Organic Matter Recycling Regulation. A summary of the compost quality and standards are provided in the Vancouver Landfill Annual Report.
Composting Process
- Yard and garden trimmings are dropped off in the receiving area.
- An excavator loads the material into a horizontal grinder, to reduce the material to 4 inches or smaller in size. **It is important that plastics and other foreign matter (metals, garbage, etc) are separated at the source. Small pieces of plastic are difficult to separate from the final product.
- Ground material is placed into long piles, called windrows, with a front end loader. The loader is also used to turn the windrows periodically to maintain optimum temperature, oxygen and moisture levels.
- When the material has stabilized, a trommel screen is used to separate compost that is 1.25 cm or smaller in size for sale, from oversized material that returns into the process.
- A reduction of about 25-30% by volume is achieved through the composting process.