Composting - CAC Survey results and more..

NOTE: as of October 2023 the Billings CAC is on hiatus in order to allow more time and focus on the "Island Wide Waste Management Citizen Committee". 

Over the summer of 2023 the CAC started a compost survey. It was originally provided to visitors to our Earth Day events,  but it was extended until Sept 1st, 2023, being posted online and available at the township office. Here are some results from the 22 respondents the detailed results are at the bottom of this post.

• Most respondents already compost (68%) - those at our Earth Day Event likely are already taking environmental actions.
• Respondents were asked to rank which of three styles of composting the township should pursue and all three had averages 3 or higher (out of 4). The top two were very close - "Home Backyard Composting" and "Communal Township Composting".
• A variety of other priorities were mentioned for the township to tackle relating to climate change, but no consistent answers.

The number of respondents was low overall, but those that did participate were in favour of increasing composting in our township. The CAC is also in favour of more composting in the township, and it's a priority identified in our CEEP (Community Energy and Emissions Plan)

Why? -  Because composting is:

• Simple
• Cheap
• A local solution
• Reduces Greenhouse Gases
• Has an end result that can be used again
• Removing potential hazard from the landfill.

Learning About Composting

1) Cheap and Simple

Here's a link with some basic information on "How to Compost" (2nd article option) but it can be as basic as making a pile in your yard of food waste. There are ways to make it better, like balancing food waste with 'brown matter' like leaves and grass clippings, and using a shovel or pitchfork to turn over the pile sometimes which helps Oxygen get inside more. And having a big bin to keep some critters out is also usually a good idea.

But it doesn't have to be more complicated than that. There are inside options, and acceleration options (the simple method will take around year to work, but plan for spring) but it doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. 

Finally, what you get back is wonderful black organic matter that will make plants grow better! If you don't have a garden, you can probably sell it to a neighbour who does.

The last part of this is the composting can be done locally. We can do it in our back yards, or with our neighbours, or perhaps with a central facility in our township. It also means you're sending less waste to the landfill, which means it fills up more slowly and the municipality can save a lot of money! It's not complicated overall.

2) It's a Green Option

Organic matter being sent to landfills and buried will still break down, but it's an anaerobic process (without oxygen). Because it's buried oxygen can't get in to alter how it happens, and this causes different a different chemical process which releases much more methane. Methane is a GHG and it's 20 times as bad as carbon dioxide for causing climate change. The process is affected by other factors, and it is possible to collect the methane to some degree but overall, the best option to reduce GHG emissions and slow climate change in this scenario is to divert the organic waste to a composting solution.

3) Compost in Landfills is Bad

The other hidden part of the problem with compost in our landfills is that compost is mostly water. Much of plants and organic matter is water (e.g. we are >70% water!) and that water will eventually filter down through all the other waste and get into cracks in our limestone underground. This process creates 'leachate', basically polluted water which, if not collected properly at a landfill site, seeps through the ground and ends up in our streams and lakes.

Summary:

Composting is an easy way to reduce your waste sent to the landfill, divert material that is dangerous to a landfill and re-purpose that material to a local, healthier alternative. Everyone should compost, either in their own home or in partnership with a neighbour. If enough people are interested, it could also happen with a well designed plan at the community level. It is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to take steps to fight climate change and leave a better future for our children.

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Full Survey Results Summary

• 59% lived "In town" and 41% lived "out of town"
• 68% said they currently compost and 32% said they did not
• Number in their household:  "1" = 4, "2" = 12, "3" = 3 and "4" = 3
• What type of composting do you think Billings should expand?  Scale of 4 to 1 (yes to no)
• Home backyard composting (black plastic bins) = average 3.74 (3 abstentions)
• Inside Kitchen Composting (vermicomposting/mini-dehydrators) = average 3.00 (5 abstentions)
• Communal Township Composting (central spot or dehydrating machine) = average 3.82 (with no abstentions, though one answer listed two numbers, perhaps for each option)
• Are there any priorities you'd like the township to tackle related to climate change
• More bins available
• Glass
• Encourage more green power
• Education the public, less stuff to our dump
• Municipal building efficiency, construction/maintenance
• Exploring opportunities that come also (eg: growing fruit trees as Niagara becomes less suitable for it)
• More gardening strategies
• Promote composting of all organics + food waste, goal to eliminate all organics in the landfill site
• Cleaning it up
• Better signage on recyclables and keep signage up to date
• Garbage should be taken care of where it is generated
• 1. I am bringing back Native wildflowers/trees and it's very challenging with the poison ivy. That is one reason why people bulldoze the land and grow sod. Helping with remediation of the poison ivy would help. 2. Why is the Township cutting all milkweeds along the roads such as Newburn & Windjammer? 3. Educating people on the effects of thier actions that contribute to climate change.