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Better Ways
February 01, 2006
Best Practice: When it comes to composting, Guelph is a leader
We live in a great city. But it's not often we can say that Guelph is a Canadian leader in something. We can say that about composting. As far back as 1982, Guelph's waste management staff identified composting as a viable way to divert waste from our rapidly filling landfill site. After a five-year pilot program, we launched the Wet-Dry system in 1995 and started composting our organic waste the following year.
Today, Guelph collects and composts 10,000 tonnes of organic waste from residents each year in the distinctive transparent green bags, reducing it in volume by roughly 75% to create 2,500 tonnes of finished compost. That nutrient-rich organic matter is sold to landscapers and topsoil blenders for $30 per tonne. We also sell about 500 tonnes to non-profit groups and schools as a fundraising commodity.
Guelph was one of the pioneers of municipal composting, but many other cities in Canada have since jumped on board with full-scale programs. In Ontario alone, the City of Toronto is composting, as are Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon), Markham, Hamilton, and Niagara Region. With landfill space at a premium, and Michigan likely to close its border to imported waste from Toronto, and the Ontario government mandating a 60% landfill diversion rate. Composting is key to attaining that goal.
FACT: Ontario currently exports an astounding three billion tonnes of garbage to the United States every year. Toronto alone ships more than 800 million tonnes.
What You Can Do:
Read our interesting interview with departing Guelph composting manager Trevor Barton, who explains the magic of our system. Then read about how other cities have committed to composting and why.
“From what we’ve seen from our pilot program, we better not be
taking composting away from residents. Once they’ve got it, they love
it. Besides, we have to do something. Siting a new landfill is getting
more and more difficult every day. Composting is one of the
environmentally sound solutions.” – Dennis Guy, Project Manager of
Community Outreach, City of Hamilton
Tell City Council that you are proud of Guelph’s record as a national leader in composting, and how we have led the way for other municipalities to divert waste from dwindling landfills.
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