4.5-minute read
Written by Casey Clair, Energy & Climate Advocate
It’s Compost Awareness Week, and we’re here to raise awareness about composting! More than that, we want to tell you how you can participate and what household waste you can transform into compost.
What is Composting?
If you’re new to composting, you’re not the only one. Composting is a great way to divert food waste away from your trash and reduces your overall carbon footprint, which is the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) that you produce. Compost itself is decayed organic matter that’s rich in nutrients and makes for incredibly healthy soil when used as fertilizer.
Since 2016, Compost Winnipeg has diverted 6,312 tonnes of food waste from local landfills. That’s 5,681 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) prevented from entering the atmosphere. These numbers will only increase with the introduction of a city-wide green cart program. The more we work to reduce our emissions, the less we contribute to increasing global temperatures.
For households and businesses, this can mean diverting compostable materials into a separate bin that you could then have taken away by Compost Winnipeg. They’ll take it to their facilities and begin the process of churning organic matter into compost over time. The alternative is to keep the compost in your own at-home compost bin where you occasionally move it around with water, soil, and even worms to produce healthy fertilizer that you can then use or give away.
“Composting is a great way to reduce our environmental impact. Food scraps in landfills emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. By sending scraps to Compost Winnipeg or processing food waste in a backyard bin, you can stop this methane from entering the environment. If you don’t have a backyard, you can try composting indoors with worms! It’s a small action you can take to have a huge impact on our air, water, and soil.
– Alexa Harwood-Jones, Compost & Waste Reduction Program Coordinator, Green Action Centre
What can I compost?
Photo provided by Compost Winnipeg & Green Action Centre
You can compost a wide range of organic materials such as food scraps, bones, BPI certified products, compostable disposables & compostable plastic, cat & dog food, coffee grounds & filters, eggshells, non-Styrofoam egg cartons, hair & fur, nail clippings, paper towels, tissues, napkins, soiled paper, pizza boxes, tea bags and wooden stir sticks. There is so much you can compost, so for a full list of biodegradable products visit Compost Winnipeg’s Compost Guide.
Where does it go?
If you don’t want to compost organic material yourself, Compost Winnipeg provides a pickup service for both commercial businesses and residential neighbourhoods. You can check out the pricing for homeowners or get a quote as a business from Compost Winnipeg’s website.
As of October 2024, you can now also drop your food waste off at several locations across the city but be sure to check the list of accepted items, as it differs from Compost Winnipeg. This includes all 4R Winnipeg Depots and many community centres. Find the closest location to you online here.
If any of this has sounded like something you could do, why not give it a try? Chat with the team at Compost Winnipeg and see if it’s the right fit for you!
If you’ve been wanting to save the planet in other fun ways, you can also come and chat with me, your energy and climate advocate, about what exciting projects are on your horizon. We have plenty of opportunities through Efficiency Manitoba to brighten your business and save you both money and peace of mind.
