Sustainable Compost Project:
The Meadow Lake Story

Meadow Lake (www.meadowlake.ca) is located 300 kms northwest of Saskatoon, where a mix of forestry, agriculture and tourism play an important role in the local economy. It sees itself as the 'gateway to pure air and water'.

In 2007, Meadow Lake was a town on the verge of becoming a city. It was also a community with no current recycling options beyond those offered through the local SARCAN depot. The old landfill was near the end of its life and a new, expensive regional landfill was being developed 24 kms out of town. It was a good time both politically and economically to look at affordable options for reducing garbage to be hauled to the new site.

The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC) was familiar with the situation in Meadow Lake and contacted the town when funding for the composting project was approved. Composting diverts a bulky, heavy part of the waste stream. Compostable materials, such as food waste, leaves and grass clippings, make up about half the garbage coming from individual homes in the warmer months and about a third of waste over the course of a full year. Both the town administration and the town council readily agreed that developing a compost program, with both large-scale and backyard components, made sense.

Backyard composting promotion has moved ahead in the last two years. In June 2008, SWRC's Joan Harrison and Naomi Mihilewicz held a Master Composter training session for seven area residents - one of whom works directly with the public in the town/city office. The Willow Creek Community Garden, which was already doing some composting, was identified as a place to demonstrate compost use. In April 2009, Meadow Lake town council offered subsidized Soil Saver compost bins to residents. A display at the local tradeshow, staffed by the trained Master Composters, in late April was a timely way to offer information and promote the new program. There was good uptake of the 150 bins ordered and a couple of how-to programs were offered during the spring months. Meadow Lake plans to offer subsidized bins again in 2010.

Finding a site for large-scale composting moved more slowly. Lack of interest was not the problem. The high water table, close proximity to surface water, competing community needs for land and some concerns about vandalism, made Meadow Lake's site selection process complicated. There are no official provincial regulations in place for establishing large-scale outdoor compost sites. Each case is considered separately and the Alberta siting guidelines are used as a reference. It took until mid summer-2009 to find a spot that meshed with community needs and Ministry of Environment approval. Meadow Lake officials made good use of the rest of the summer. The site now has a packed clay base and a protective berm. Fencing materials for the site have been purchased and will be installed next spring. Meadow Lake was officially declared a city on November 6, 2009. This new city is set to begin its new large-scale composting program in the 2010.

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