Transcript Plan de communication Festin culturel 2012

Household
composting
By Sonia Rousseau
Environmental Awareness Officer
Waste management
• The 3RB principle
1) Reduce at the source
2) Reuse
3) Recycle
4) Beneficiate
Composting
Advantages of composting
• Environmental
 Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills
 Reduces the production of greenhouse gases (GHG) in
landfills and during transportation
 Reduces groundwater contamination
 Regenerates soil
 Reduces the use of chemical fertilizers
Household composting
• What is it?
- The controlled decomposition of organic
matter through the action of microorganisms.
- Produces compost, which is a natural and
nutrient-rich fertilizer for your plants and garden.
Source: http://blog.zoysiafarms.com/tag/composting/.
• Microorganisms
- Bacteria
- Insects
- Fungi
- Earthworms
- Etc.
Source: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6956
Household composting
- Find an appropriate outdoor location
 Good air circulation
 Semi-shaded
 Protected from the wind
 Flat surface
 Good drainage
- Remove the grass and till the soil
- Place finely cut branches or twigs at the base
- Put your wet matter (green or nitrogen-rich) and dry matter (brown or
carbon-rich) in the composter
- Always maintain a good humidity level (like a squeezed sponge)
and good aeration
Source: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/bestcomposters-tools-2009-88186
• How do I start?
Household composting
• How to layer compostable matter?
- The lasagna technique
 1/3 of wet/moist matter (green)
 2/3 of dry matter (brown)
Dry (10 -12 cm)
Wet/moist (5 -7 cm)
Dry (10 -12 cm)
Wet/moist (5 -7 cm)
Dry (10 -12 cm)
Wet/moist (5 -7 cm)
Cut branches or twigs (10 cm)
- Maximum 1.50 m (60”) and minimum 90 cm (35”)
- Stir the compost heap once every 10 days
What can I compost?
• Wet/moist materials (green or nitrogen-rich)
- Kitchen waste
 Fruits
 Vegetables
 Egg shells
 Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Garden waste
 Plants
 Cut grass (in small quantities)
What can I compost?
• Dry matter (brown or carbon-rich)
- Kitchen waste




rice, pasta, bread
paper napkins
paper (preferably recycled and shredded)
cardboard
- Garden waste
 dry leaves, hay, straw, wood chips, dry grass
 dead plants and dry leaves
- Natural hair / feathers
- Natural fabric (linen, wool, cotton, etc.)
- Earth (rich in minerals)
What is non-compostable?
• Non-compostable matter
- Meat, fish, bones
Source:
http://www.entretiens4saisons.ca/inde
x.php?page=services&section=parasit
es&ss=tacheGoudronneuse
- Sauces, oil and grease
- Milk products
- Wax paper or paper with colour ink
- Litter
- Weeds and seeds
- Sick plants or leaves
- Oak and walnut leaves (due to their tannin)
- Rhubarb leaves (natural insecticide)
- Softwood leaves (excessive acidity)
- Maple leaves with tar spots
- Materials treated with pesticides
- Styrofoam
Compost
• Maturity
- Ready in 12 to 13 weeks
- Very little non-composted waste
- Texture et colour of good soil
- Constant temperature
• Collecting compost
- Lift the trap
- Return non-composted materials to the composter
Source:
http://www.abundantearth.com/store/SoilSaverGarden
Composter.html
• From spring to fall
Compost
- In your garden
- In your flower beds
- On your lawn
- Before planting a tree
- For your indoor plants
Source:
http://web.wellesley.edu/adminandplanning/Sustainabi
lity/news/compost.html
• Uses
Composting in the winter?
- Continue filling your composter
- Do not stir frozen materials
- Decomposition will resume in the spring
Source: http://fr.academic.ru/dic.nsf/frwiki/849411
THANK YOU!
For more information, please call the Service Brossard
at 450 923-6311