Guelph, Ont., April 18, 2019 — The City of Guelph, County of Wellington, and Alectra Inc. are pleased to announce that FoodCycler—a business that offers a countertop food recycler that turns food waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer for plants and gardens, and uses Smart technology to help residents, businesses and cities understand their food waste patterns- was awarded $5,000 to promote application development.
At Toronto’s Globe Capital Exchange earlier this year, the City and the County of Wellington participated in the Alectra Inc.-sponsored Innovation Challenge in search of innovative technologies to support their circular food economy model. FoodCycler emerged as a leader in this technology and an example of the type of innovation at the heart of Guelph-Wellington’s Smart Cities Challenge bid.
“We were impressed with many of the new and exciting technologies presented at the event, and FoodCycler was particularly aligned as we look towards diversified solutions in support of reducing food waste to landfill.”
Scott Stewart, Deputy CAO, Infrastructure, Development & Enterprise Services, City of Guelph
FoodCycler, founded by a University of Guelph graduate, was chosen because the company’s goals align with the Smart Cities initiative, the product is consumer ready, and the technology visibly and efficiently tracks food waste, giving consumers insights into their own behaviours.
“The FoodCycler indoor food recycler is an innovative and exciting opportunity for residents to divert food waste from landfill, especially for those who don’t necessarily have the space on their property for backyard composting.”
Kelly Linton, County of Wellington Warden
“Our goal is to create an international community of forward-thinking individuals, businesses and communities, all excited to join us in the fight against food waste .”
Bradley Crepeau, co-founder of FoodCycler
Guelph-Wellington, a $10M finalist in Infrastructure Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge, is building Canada’s first circular food economy by recognizing the value of waste. Guelph-Wellington’s bid has goals to increase access to affordable, nutritious food by 50 per cent, create 50 new circular businesses and collaborations, and increase circular economic revenues by 50 per cent. Part of the process of building a circular economy is sourcing products that will help achieve these goals by both businesses and residents.