Beyond blue box recycling, one of the easiest ways homeowners can cut down on the number of garbage bags they send to the landfill is by composting.
It's inexpensive, doesn't take too much effort, and provides a free source of fertilizer for gardens, lawns and indoor houseplants.
Sylvie Hebert mixes her compost on the roof of Mountain Equipment Co-op.
"When you compost, you reduce your household organic waste by about 40 per cent," says Sylvie Hébert, compost project co-ordinator for Resource Conservation Manitoba.
Just as important, composting releases lower greenhouse gases into the environment than sending your kitchen waste to the dump.
At first glance, it may seem OK to put fruit and vegetable leftovers and plant material out with your regular garbage -- after all, these are all natural items. But the reality is quite the opposite.
Organic matter at landfill sites is compacted and covered over with other garbage and soil, so it decomposes without oxygen, which releases greenhouse gas methane into the air. In a compost bin, on the other hand, oxygen is available, so the organic matter releases only carbon dioxide.
"Methane is 21 times worse for the environment than carbon dioxide, in terms of contributing to climate change" Hébert says.
As well, composting results in less residential garbage so fewer trucks are required to ship waste to landfill sites. This reduces fuel consumption and air pollution.
Compost is also a lot better for your garden -- and our waterways -- than chemical fertilizers.
Compost acts as a natural slow-release fertilizer that binds to plant roots, making it difficult to get washed away by rain. It returns valuable nutrients to the ground, while also improving drainage, moisture levels and the texture of soil.
This makes compost a great replacement for chemical fertilizers that can leach nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium into sewer systems, lakes and streams.
"When you use compost, plants grow better, produce more fruit or flowers, are more resistant to disease and contain more vitamins because compost is full of micronutrients that chemical fertilizers do not contain," Hébert explains.
On Saturday, the City of Winnipeg held its annual compost bin sale. If you picked one up, you may be wondering how to get started. Or, if you missed the sale, you may want to know where to get a bin. Here are some basic tips on backyard composting:
Where to get a compost bin:
There are many styles of compost bins, but for typical homeowners with a moderate amount of kitchen and garden waste and a small to moderate-sized yard, a plastic bin with a tight-fitting lid and sliding door is usually the best bet. They cost around $50 to $60 and can be purchased at many garden centres like Canadian Tire, Rona, McDiarmid Lumber and Lee Valley; and at some greenhouses, including Shelmerdine's Nursery. Call ahead to check on availability.
You can also build your own bin using wood pallets (available from some grocery stores or warehouses), old fencing or plywood. Make a box by holding the pieces of wood together with wire -- such as chicken wire -- and drill air holes into the sides of the box. Go to www.resourceconservation.mb.ca to check out some bin-building plans.
The ideal bin is one metre cubed in size. A bin that is too small cannot retain enough heat and if it is too large, not enough air will reach the centre of the compost pile. Bins should be placed in an area with partial shade and partial sun and sit on the ground, not on cement.
What can you compost?
Green materials, such as vegetable and fruit scraps, garden cuttings, coffee grounds and filters, tea leaves and tea bags. If you compost weeds, make sure the seed pods are removed so when you spread the finished compost, you don't cause additional weeds to grow. Eggshells help neutralize acidic materials, creating a richer compost.
Brown materials: Dry leaves, straw, hay, twigs, small branches, sawdust, shredded paper, including newspaper and Kleenex (but not glossy magazines, since they are toxic), untreated wood chips.
Do not compost meat, fish, eggs, dairy or oil products, dog or cat feces.
Tips for effective composting:
Micro-organisms live in the compost pile and require the right amount of food, water and air to thrive and break down the materials more quickly. If you keep the following tips in mind, you should have finished compost in several months:
Keep an even balance of green (wet kitchen scraps) and brown materials (dry leaves, sawdust, etc.) in the compost pile. Green materials provide nitrogen to the decomposition process and brown materials provide carbon. You should layer two to three pails of brown materials over every pail of greens. After raking up leaves in the fall, store them in an open bag in a dry area so they are ready to use. Shredded newspaper and Kleenex will also work if you run out of leaves.
Add soil to accelerate decomposition, but not potting soil, which has been sterilized and will not work as an activator.
The micro-organisms that decompose organic materials need air to survive, so stir the pile every two to three weeks using a pitchfork, shovel or aerator tool. You can either mix the whole pile or poke holes to make air channels in the heap.
The compost pile should not be dry, nor should it be really wet. The general rule is that a pile should be as wet as a wrung-out sponge.
If you cut up or shred large materials, such as branches and twigs, that increases the surface area for the organisms to work on, thus speeding up the decomposition process.
Keep a container in your kitchen with a lid to collect kitchen scraps. You can keep the pail in the fridge or freezer between trips to the bin in order to prevent odours or fruit flies.
Common composting problems and solutions:
A smelly bin:
Always cover green waste with a layer of browns to prevent odours. A layer of soil on top of the pile also helps reduce smells.
The pile may be too wet. Add dried leaves and dry garden soil.
Odours can occur if the compost pile is too compact, so turn the compost pile more often. If you don't aerate the compost pile often enough, there is a risk it could compost without oxygen, which produces an unpleasant smell.
Pests:
If there are fruit flies or wasps around the bin, your kitchen scraps are likely exposed and the odour is attracting pests. Every time you add kitchen scraps, put in a layer of dry leaves. A thin layer of soil on the top of your pile also discourages pests.
Decomposition is not taking place:
Turning your pile too often may slow down decomposition because your pile won't have time to heat up. The more efficient bacteria prefer higher temperatures, so the hotter the pile, the faster you get finished compost.
There may be too many brown materials and not enough greens, so add more kitchen waste.
When is compost ready to be used?
Finished compost looks like soil. It is dark brown, crumbles in your hand, and has a pleasant earthy smell. If there are large lumps or the compost is still warm, it isn't ready yet. If you use compost before it has finished decomposing, the micro-organisms may rob the soil and plants of nitrogen in order to finish the process.
For more information on composting, go to Resource Conservation Manitoba's website (www.resourceconservation.mb.ca) and click on backyard composting, or call the information line at 925-3778.
Upcoming Resource Conservation Manitoba composting workshops:
To learn more about composting, attend a free workshop. To register call 925-3777.
June 16: St. Vital Library, 6 Formor Ave.
Outdoors at the community garden at 446 Langside. Rain location: Magnus Eliason Rec. Centre, 430 Langside
June 17: Sir William Stephenson Library, 765 Keewatin St.
June 23: Westwood Library, 66 Allard Ave.
June 24: Millennium Library (Buchwald Room), 251 Donald St.
June 26: Transcona Library, 111 Victoria Ave. W.
Admin Building - RM of East St. Paul, 3021 Bird's Hill Rd.
-- all workshops are 45 minutes to one hour long and take place at 7 p.m.
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