Recent changes in the CDN/NDG Borough’s Community compost program have reawakened a long running debate within the environmental community: Is it better to have individual backyard bins, and small community bins for those without a back yard, or is it better to integrate composting into the borough’s own waste management strategy?

The Borough began the community-composting program after a pilot project by Action Communiterre and ValoEco to set up and use three-bin composters at or near collective gardens was attempted. The original project and Borough follow-up was based on the idea that local residents would contribute to and manage the composters themselves, and share the finished compost either in a collective garden or at individual homes.

The pilot ran smoothly, and the Borough wanted to replicate the program in more neighborhoods, eventually putting two three-bin composters in each of the six (now five) electoral districts, and paying the local Eco-Quartier offices a small fee to maintain and supervise the bins.

So far so good, until rats were discovered in one of the community bins last summer, then in several of the bins last fall and winter.

While getting rid of the rats is simple (remove the compost from the bin, verify that residents are not putting bread, meat, or other rodent-friendly foods into the bins, then keep the compost moist after that. To ensure that rats do not re-enter, add wire mesh to the bottom of the bins, or place on a platform of cinderblocks to keep pests away), there is time and expertise needed to completely remove rodents and keep them away.

The Borough’s solution has been to empty and close the composters, and reopen them only if residents live in large apartment buildings, sign up, have their own key to the composters, and regularly assist in the upkeep and maintenance of the bins. These extra limitations on participation are discouraging people who want to compost, but don't want to invest too much time and attention to the task.

The integration of curbside compost (also called “organics”) collection into the waste management plans of municipalities large and small has been going on for over ten years. Mid-size cities like Halifax and Peterborough and large ones like Toronto all collect compostable materials along with recyclables and garbage.

When the contract for garbage pick-up and disposal came up for renewal last year, Cote-St-Luc decided to opt out and develop its own waste management strategy , including curbside organics collection. Starting as a pilot project this year, the town hopes to have a "three-stream" (recyclables, organics, and garbage) collection up and running in the next year or so.

The benefits are many: big reductions in the solid waste stream, reduced greenhouse gasses, and nutrient-rich compost for municipal and individual use. Curbside collection can also handle materials that community bins can’t like bread, dairy products and even meat. However, as local experience has shown, the larger the group involved in organics collection, the more contaminated the compost becomes and the less likely you are to get any of it (without paying, that is).

There have been calls from individuals and groups to keep supporting individual composting and local community bins. There is no question that in the short term individual and community composting are the only game in town.

What would you prefer: The borough taking over composting, or more support for individual and collective composting? Whichever choice we make, we will need to put it on the Borough's agenda, and like Cote-St-Luc, keep plugging away until it becomes a reality.

— Roger

Links:

General Composting Intormation: http://www.compost.org/
Community Composting: http://www.ecojm.cam.org/ndetail.php?id=6

*Share your own composting tips & links in our comments section!