Yaletown Bentley condo shuts down composting over pests

A Vancouver condo has been forced to suspend its organics composting program over concerns about flies.

According to a health bulletin posted by its strata council, the Bentley condo in Yaletown is working with other strata councils and the food industry to find a way to reduce the number of flies buzzing around food recycling bins.

Other condo owners are also complaining that Metro Vancouver's new composting regulation is presenting a growing problem in complexes where there is limited indoor space for garbage, recycling and composting.

The new rules requiring that apartments and businesses separate all food waste for composting went into effect Jan.1.

"We are dealing with issues that people are raising, like flies, cockroaches, silverfish and rodents, rats and one of the big problems is there is not necessarily sufficient ventilation," said Tony Gioventu, executive director of the Condominium Home Owners Association of B.C.

Gioventu says many highrise towers are simply not built for garbage sorting and composting organics. He says it`s a challenge that many strata councils and service companies are struggling to deal with.

In the meantime, he recommends condo owners wrap any leaky kitchen waste in newspaper or a bag, and then put it in a bucket before taking it out of their units. He says strata councils should also consider having garbage pickup at least twice a week.