In Calgary, nearly one in three residents faced food insecurity in 2023, yet tons of perfectly good food from restaurants, grocery stores, and cafeterias goes to waste every week. 

Why? For many businesses, donating surplus food is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Without a simple, reliable system to coordinate pickups and ensure food safety, even businesses that want to help often end up sending extra food to the landfill.

At Knead Tech, we believe innovation can transform how we address food waste. That’s why we’ve teamed up with BluPlanet Recycling and Zero Food Waste Foundation to test a system that makes it easy for businesses to donate surplus food. Food is picked up along existing recycling and compost routes, using insulated bins, keeping it fresh. Smart technology helps track pickups, match donors with recipients, and streamline communication, making the process effortless for businesses and efficient for the non-profits helping feed our communities.

This approach addresses multiple challenges at once:

• Efficiency: BluPlanet drivers are already on the road collecting recycling and compost, so food pickups don’t require extra trips or labour.
  
• Feasibility for Businesses: Small businesses don’t need to manage the process themselves. They simply set out their non-preisable food, and it gets safely delivered to local non-profits.
• Food Safety: With guidance from Zero Food Waste Foundation, all donations are handled according to best practices to ensure they arrive safe and ready to serve.
• Community Impact: More food is diverted from the landfill to local non-profits like shelters and community kitchens, directly supporting people who need it most.

It’s a win-win! Businesses can participate without added work, drivers can maximize efficiency on existing routes, and non-profits get more consistent food donations to feed our community. 

We hope to make this a blueprint for a citywide food rescue system, integrated alongside compost, recycling, and garbage services. That means food rescue could become a standard, reliable practice, as routine as recycling and compost.

Interested in turning your recycling pickup into a chance to fight food waste? If you’re a BluPlanet customer or want to get involved, we’d love to include you in the pilot. Get in touch with us!