Weight Week 2026
Weight Week: One load; One Big Favour
Forget Shark Week. From November 16 to 22, Loop farms across Western Canada are stepping on the scale for Weight Week!
For one pickup, we're asking you to weigh your load by department and send us the numbers. That's it.
Every scheduled farm weighs one load, during Weight Week, by department, and submits those weights with their regular pickup report.
You still do your normal banana box count. The only extra step is putting each box on a scale and adding up the total weight, in kilograms, for each department:
Produce, bakery, meat, deli and so on.
From those totals, we can work out what an average banana box actually weighs in each department.
One week of extra effort is what keeps reporting simple for the other 51!
All year round, you report in banana box counts because it’s fast and simple. Behind the scenes, we multiply your box count by an average scaling factor to convert it into actual kilograms of food diverted from landfills. We report these estimated daily weights directly to store management. This data helps stores make critical supply and ordering decisions and pinpoint problem areas - in fact, it's a major reason stores partner with Loop in the first place.
The catch? Not all boxes are created equal. A full box of frozen meat and a full box of dinner rolls are both "one box," but that meat can easily weigh more than double the bakery items. To account for this, each department gets its own scaling factor.
To keep this system running smoothly, we check our math every so often against real loads. When each farm weighs in during the exact same week, we get a solid, reliable data sample. Our conversion factors stay sharp, store partners stay happy, and no one has to weigh every pickup for the rest of forever.
Your dashboard will flag the pickup that includes a weight sample, so you'll know it's coming before pickup day.
- Get a scale.
Any scale that reads accurately will do. Check that it works before pickup day (ask me how I know... batteries at the local gas station are surprisingly expensive!). - Do your regular box count, same as always.
- Weigh as you unload.
Put each box on the scale (or stand on the scale and subtract your weight) and jot down the weight, grouped by department. - Add up each department and convert to kilograms if your scale reads in pounds.
- Submit your box count first.
Enter it as usual and press submit. - Enter your weights.
On the next screen you'll be prompted to enter your box weights by department. Busy day? You can come back to it later from your dashboard.
The data team is your point of contact for Weight Week:
data@loopresource.ca or 587-410-8717.
We know weighing a whole load can be a chore...
But every farm across Western Canada is weighing the same week, so you're in good company! One load, one week, and the numbers behind the whole Loop program get a little more solid.
Mark November 9 to 15 on the calendar, find your scale, and watch our Facebook group and inbox for how-to videos in the lead-up.
There are plenty of creative ways to get the job done. Here are a few practical ideas:
Great for tallying as you unload!
Step on the scale holding a box, subtract your weight, and have a helper write it down. Flying solo? Prop up your phone to take a video, read the department and weight aloud as you unload, and tally it up later from the playback.
Have access to a grain or platform livestock scale? Weigh multiple boxes - or an entire department - in a single go.
Perfect if you need to be able to weigh at table height, or if you don’t want to subtract your own weight every time.
If you don’t want to have to keep a paper or phone note tally, grab a sharpie and write the weight on the side of each box. Once you have each department done, you can add up the box totals from the numbers on their sides.
Check your scale before pickup day (having to run for gas station replacement batteries adds up fast!). Beg or borrow a scale from family or neighbours, or team up with a fellow local Looper to trade a hand unloading and recording.
