When food scraps and other compostable organic materials are sent to landfills, they decompose; releasing a potent greenhouse gas called methane. Composting reduces these greenhouse gas emissions. However, mass composting often deals with challenges from contamination when inorganic materials, like plastic, reach the compost pile. The answer to solving this problem is showing individuals how to compost in their own backyards.
The third and final collaborative compost project is the City Compost Education Project. This project involves Thames Region Ecological Association (TREA), City of London, London Middlesex Master Gardeners, Garden Club of London and Try Recycling. The goal of the project is to increase home composting in London as a low-cost sustainable program for managing residential organics including kitchen food scraps and yard materials. Objectives include providing workshops on home composting, increasing the number of composters sold from City of London EnviroDepots, and informing depot users about home composting and the available composter units.
The following activities were created to meet these objectives:
It’s still not too late to participate in this program and take advantage of the workshops being hosted by TREA in September and December. At the September 8th workshop, Anne Boyd, the City’s Manager of Waste Diversion Programs, will be providing detailed multi-residential composting options. Gary Crowell, from the Good Green Earth Company, will also be joining TREA to present the Bokashi composting system; a great alternative used by many to handle food waste in apartment settings.
At the December 8th workshop, Dr. Elizabeth Webb from Western University’s Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science will be joining TREA to explain a special soil science topic—ancient agriculture.
Congratulations to all of the project partners for an informative and wide ranging initiative to encourage Londoners to compost. Participating in composting, wherever you live, is a step in the right direction in growing London as a healthy, sustainable city.
Click here for more event information about TREA’s upcoming Composting Workshop Series.
Click here for more information about the Collaborative Composting Initiative.
Article supplied with permission from the London Environmental Network (LEN) - http://londonenvironment.net/city-compost-education/