Compost

Compost is food for the soil. It is made of a mix of decomposed organic matter and helpful living organisms like soil bacteria and fungus. Composting organic waste like food scraps, grass clippings, leaves, and soiled paper is a great way to:

• Make a lot less garbage - by not throwing these things in with the trash

• Avoid making methane pollution at the landfill (where things rot in a worse way due to the lack of fresh air - normal composting does not make methane)

• Build healthy soil with lots of plant nutrients and a good, loose texture that helps it absorb more water

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Home Composting

Composting at home is the most direct way to manage our organic waste. It is also a great way for gardeners to fertilize their soil. There are many different methods for composting at home.

To find out what style will work best for you, take the COMPOST STYLE QUIZ!

Outdoors:

• Break it down in a compost bin

• Bury it in a trench compost

• Build a squash heap in the garden
  

• Spread leaves or grass as mulch 

• Grasscycle by leaving clippings on the lawn when you mow
  

Indoors:

• Vermicompost with earthworms
  
• Not sure where to get red wiggler earthworms? Check our list of SK vermicompost suppliers.

• Use bokashi buckets to pre-ferment food waste 

• Make a small, indoor compost "tub"
  

• Use an electric countertop appliance to dehydrate food waste - but it won't be compost!
• Electric composters are kitchen appliances that use heat, stirring, and time to rapidly dry and shrink food waste.
• Read our report for more: Understanding Countertop Compost Units

 

More home compost resources:

• Understanding Countertop Compost Units (PDF)

• The 5-step recipe for a balanced compost bin - that doesn't smell! (PDF)

• Got fruit flies or fungus gnats? Tips for controlling these tiny pests. (Info coming)

• Composting in 60 Seconds video series
• Choosing a Compost Bin in 60 Seconds
  
• Backyard Composting in 60 Seconds
• Trench Composting in 60 Seconds
• Using Finished Compost in 60 Seconds
• Vermicompost in 60 Seconds
• Bokashi Composting in 60 Seconds
• Winter Composting in 60 Seconds

• What compost style is right for you? Take the COMPOST STYLE QUIZ!

• Home Composting on the Prairies (22-minute video)

• Composting and other Down-to-Earth Solutions (PDF)

• Vermicompost fact sheet (PDF)

• Bokashi compost fact sheet (PDF)

 

 

Municipal Composting

Composting is a great way for communities to reduce waste and meet sustainability goals.

Does your communty compost? Check our Waste Reduction Hub for compost options around SK.

The SWRC encourages communities to use our free, online compost resources for home composting promotion. The SWRC also offers additional backyard composting programs to municipalities, including our Compost Coach training program. Contact us for more information.

Alternatively, communities can set up large-scale composting programs such as curbside organics collection or drop-off depots. Aerated static piles, windrow composting, and in-vessel compost systems are common methods for composting large volumes of organic waste on the Prairies.

Compost Help in Saskatoon

Residents of Saskatoon also have access to free lessons, workshops, and compost information through the Compost Coach program. The Saskatoon Compost Coaches are a volunteer group coordinated by the SWRC and paid for by the City of Saskatoon. Contact the Compost Coaches to ask a compost question, request a free home visit, or set up a free group workshop!

Phone: (306) 931-3249

Facebook: Saskatoon Compost Coaches

Email: [email protected]