Groups work to divert food waste to people in need in Sudbury

Sudbury Food Bank diverts 405,000 lbs of grocery surplus from landfills, partnering with local groups to redistribute food.

The Sudbury Food Bank is increasing efforts to divert food away from city landfills.

Officials are working with grocery stores and community partners to distribute surplus food that has a limited shelf life.

The Sudbury Food Bank receives donations from grocery stores, helping those in need and saving food from ending up in the landfill.

“We have 14 grocery stores across the city right now that are diverting food waste to the food bank,” said Natalie Labbée, the food bank’s executive director.

“In 2025, we were able to divert 405,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill.”

Labbée said beyond food banks, excess food with a limited shelf life is being given to groups that can give it to people who need it.

“We have been partnering with the Thriving African Families organization, as well as a church in the Donovan, a First Nations church,” she said.

Diverting food waste from landfills

“We also extended some help to Denise Sandul (from the Sudbury Outreach Support) project … just to kind of supplement what we are able to do to help people beyond what we are doing in our daily operations.”

Renee Brownlee, Greater Sudbury’s director of environmental services, said food waste diversion is vital to help extend the lifespan of landfills.

“In waste diversion, we do have a hierarchy and avoiding food waste to begin with is really at the top of the hierarchy,” Brownlee said.

Brownlee said recent small-scale residential waste audits show that 30 to 50 per cent of what’s in garbage bags is divertible.

“Mostly it is organic material, so food waste and compostable paper packaging,” she said.

The Sudbury Food Bank said some food that can’t be distributed to humans because it’s far beyond its best-before date is given to farmers for compost or feed for their livestock.