The next generation of composting

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This article was published 01/06/2022 (1347 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WEST KILDONAN

WEST END

FORT ROUGE

Not all garbage need be wasted.

The positive effects of one former West Kildonan Collegiate’s green initiative continue to be felt at a local pizzeria doing what it can to keep organic solids out of the landfill.

Nicholas Kiesman, 19, is thrilled that the West End’s Wall Street Slice has chosen to continue its compost program in the months following a project he completed at the restaurant with the support of Compost Winnipeg.

Since March 2022, Wall Street Slice has kept 600 kilograms of organic waste out of the trash, equivalent to 24 garbage bags full. The restaurant is diverting everything from vegetable trimmings from its ratatouille pizza toppings to paper towels — and even meat — that would otherwise be doomed to the dumpster.

“If it’s organic, if it can break down, it can probably be composted,” Kiesman said. “It’s a lot better than sending it to the landfill, where it produces methane gas.”

Kiesman’s project was designed by Caring for Our Watersheds, a competition he took part in during his Grade 10 and Grade 12 year. (Caring For Our Watersheds is a Canadian non-profit organization that encourages students to explore solutions to challenges facing their region’s waterways).

The aim of Kiesman’s initiative, which he dubbed Composting for a Cause, was to get restaurants on board with composting. Kiesman reached out to Karrie Blackburn, the sales and customer service lead with Compost Winnipeg, for guidance. Blackburn alerted him that Wall Street Slice was in search of a service just like this.

“I am really happy and really honoured that the work I’ve done in high school and the work I’ve done with Caring For Our Watersheds actually makes a difference in the community. That has been the purpose of doing all of this,” Kiesman said.

Kiesman says he’s grateful for the support of Compost Winnipeg, who helped organize the logistics of compost collection with Wall Street Slice. Blackburn helped with things like corresponding with the business and giving Kiesman tips on how to make compost receptacles more convenient for kitchen staff.

Roughly a year after Kiesman’s pilot project concluded, Caring for Our Watersheds has covered the cost of four months of compost collection at Wall Street Slice through the Compost Winnipeg program. Compost Winnipeg offers the first month of service for free.

When considering whether he’ll pursue environmental work as a career, Kiesman had this to say: “That’s certainly an avenue I’ll consider in the future. The difference that I made with these types of projects is really impactful, and it means a lot to me.”

He encourages high school students to participate in the Caring for Our Watersheds competition if given the opportunity.

Steffen Zinn, co-owner of Wall Street Slice, says his family is no stranger to composting and is pleased to the business has adopted the practice. As it stands, the restaurant’s compost program has no definite end date.

“It’s very easy,” Zinn said. “We have a bin in the back which has a liner on it, so it’s not smelly.”

Looking ahead to the summer, Compost Winnipeg is working to expand its residential collection service in the near future. This could include community drop-off locations. As well, it will be partnering with the South Osborne Farmers’ Market to offer organic waste collection at a reduced rate for its patrons.

“It helps fund the service at the South Osborne Farmers’ Market because they have all compostable packaging for their beer garden,” Blackburn said. “It’s a way for them to subsidize that while providing a service to the community.”

For more information, visit www.compostwinnipeg.ca