There has been a lot of talk lately about the need for municipal composting programs across the Island of Montréal, but so far, it's mostly just talk. The Québec government is slowly organizing in order to provide organic waste recycling, but there's no telling when such a program will actually be available to the citizens of Montréal - and with the reality of climate change well upon us, it's pretty clear that there's no time to waste.

That's why, last July, we took matters into our own hands, and started a community-supported compost collection program in St-Henri, with the collaboration of the Éco-Quartier. We've worked throughout the winter, providing weekly pickup for participants already established in the program, and now that spring is here again, we're looking to offer the service to residents of N.D.G.

Our goal is not only to divert organic materials from landfills, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and soil contamination, but also to perform our collection in the most environmentally sound manner. To offer a quick resume of our environmental initiatives so far:

* The containers we supply to participants are recycled, and are therefore diverted from landfills; refurbished using less energy than creating new containers, and with a lesser carbon output.
* The cornstarch bag liners we use are organic-based and fully-compostable, meaning complete non-toxic re-integration with the soil.
* The various documents we produce for potential and current participants are printed on recycled paper.

Yet this is just the beginning of our plan. Transportation is a huge ecological problem, and is arguably the most crucial component of a well-functioning 'green' economy. It is of the greatest importance that we cease to rely on fossil fuels, and any mass recycling program that continues to work with traditional fuels would be ultimately unsustainable.

This is why our goal for the coming year is to develop an initiative that will recycle used vegetable oil discarded from the innumerable restaurants across the city, which after proper treatment, would easily power the necessary collection vehicles. All that we need is the continued support of the community, (and a greater number of participants), in order to be able to pay for this development. Until then, we have to content ourselves by making judicious use of a gasoline-powered pickup truck to perform our collection.

The cost to participants is just $5 per week, tax included, with discounts available if you pay for 3 months of service at a time. Along with the collection service, we provide you with your recycled container, your compostable cornstarch bags, and whatever cleaning and maintenance may be necessary to keep your container looking (and smelling) nice.

The benefits of composting for the environment are undeniable. Proper composting greatly reduces the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted from landfills, and results in an end product that is rich in nutrients to be returned to the earth. It also allows a typical household to further reduce their garbage production by approximately one-third.

For more information, or to get started in the program, please visit our website at www.independentmessenger.ca/compost , send us an email at compost@independentmessenger.ca , or call Stephen at (514) 815-8550.