Our third summer season is ready to go with more locations than ever!
Current Locations:
1) West End Community Centre
870 Denman St, at the corner of Haro
Saturdays, 10am - 12pm
web: foodwestend.wordpress.com
2) Trout Lake Farmers Market
North Parking Lot of John Hendry Park at Trout Lake
Between Templeton and Lakewood south of the 13th Avenue Alley
May 11th, 2013 to October 19th, 2013
Saturdays, 9am - 2pm
web: eatlocal.org
2) Kitsilano Farmers Market
2690 Larch Street at 10th Avenue, Parking Lot of Kitsilano Community Centre
May 12th, 2013 to October 20th, 2013
Sundays, 9am - 2pm
web: eatlocal.org
3) Gordon Neighbourhood House
1090 Broughton Street (at Nelson)
November 3rd, 2012 - May 25, 2013
Saturdays, 10am - 12pm
Previous Locations:
Closed- Olympic Village
Village (Bird) Plaza, Athletes Way at Manitoba St
Tuesdays, 6pm - 8pm
July 10th - September 25 - closed for 2012
contact: villagefoodscraps@gmail.com
web: villagetrashtalk.tumblr.com
West End Farmers Market - closed for the season
1100 Block of Comox Street across from Nelson Park at Mole Hill
June 2nd, 2012 to October 20, 2012
Saturdays, 9am - 2pm
web: eatlocal.org
2) Winter Farmers Market
Nat Bailey Stadium - 30th & Ontario Street
November 3rd, 2012 to April 27th, 2013
Saturdays, 10am - 12pm
web: eatlocal.org
Watch for more locations coming soon!
We ask for a $2 contribution whenever you drop off to help support the continuation of this service.
We were very happy to have Gordon Neighbourhood House as a supporter. They generously opened up their location to host a local Drop Spot for the winter. So a big thanks to Gordon Neighbourhood House!
For more information about the Farmers Markets, please visit http://www.eatlocal.org/.
Frequent Asked Questions
Q: Will there be any changes to the Drop Spot collection?
There might be some changes, but the variety of food scraps we collect remains the same.
We will continue to collect raw & cooked food scraps (including bread, pasta, meats, bones, and dairy), soiled paper towels, coffee grounds, and tea bags.
And remember, if you bring your food scraps in paper bags (such as the brown paper shopping bags or Bag to Earth bags) or BPI certified compostable bags, we can compost those as well.
Q: Since the Drop Spot will continue, where can I get a reusable collection bucket or Bag to Earth Bags?
As you might have noticed, the drop spot didn’t stock any bucket or bags in the last few weeks. We are considering bring those back to the drop spot in November.
Meanwhile, you can also buy these products at a nearby retail store, such as London Drugs, Rona, Canadian Tires, Home Depot, etc.
Q: Why is the Drop Spot requesting a minimum charge now?
We are requesting a $2 fee because we are switching our budgetary structure as we move forward. Our goal with this change is to ensure that you will have a consistent way to drop off your food scraps for composting.
The Greenest City Neighbourhood Grant that the City of Vancouver provided to us in 2011 was a one-time funding. And even before the project came to an end, City staff and officials have provided us with positive feedback about the future of the Drop Spot.
We have since made a request for more funding in order to continue the services beyond the pilot project and we are optimistic that the City will continue to support this service. Nonetheless, the city requires some time to process our funding request. So, instead of suspending the services while we wait funding, we decided to run this service on a donation basis with minimal interruption.
While most droppers were happy to donate through 2012, the average donate was about $1.10, which was not enough to cover even our basic costs. We have started to ask for a minimum $2 donation now so we can continue to offer this service. The Drop Spot has never been a for-profit venture, but the organizations involved are currently spending their own money to keep it operational. Without the support of the droppers, the Drop Spot cannot be sustainable for the long-term.
Also, as we look ahead in the long term, we are considering different ways to ensure that this service is financially sustainable. We are using this situation to examine how user donations can help fill any funding shortfalls.
Q: Where does my donation goes? Shouldn’t the City funding be able to cover this?
The cost for hulling and processing the collected food scraps every week makes up a significant portion of the operating cost. So, your donations are put towards covering that cost.
Both Vancouver Farmers Markets and Recycling Alternative are also contributing to the service by absorbing a portion of the administrative cost to ensure the Drop Spot can continue.
With financial support from the City of Vancouver or other donors, we can offset both the hulling fee and administrative costs. And if we are in a financially sound position, we can consider expanding into other high density communities in Vancouver. We will continually assess the financial situation for this service and make any adjustments as necessary.
We are hopeful and optimistic that the city will continue to support the Drop Spot. But we know that the City’s funding will not be enough to cover all the cost to run this service in the long term. So, we do need your donation to keep the drop spot running.
