Celebrate Waste Collector Appreciation Day

Our waste collectors help keep our streets clean all year round. Last year they collected 245,046 tonnes of residential waste from 396,876 households, twice as heavy as Toronto's CN Tower! Safe, clean communities depend on the hard work that our waste collectors do on a daily basis.

As part of North American Waste Collector week, the City will celebrate our waste collectors at a free family event this Sunday at Compost 'S cool.

Date: Sunday, June 16
Time: 1 to 4 p.m.
Location: Compost 'S cool (near Fort Edmonton Park)
Cost: Free

Come chat with a waste collector, check out a garbage truck, make thank you cards and learn how to help keep your collectors safe and one time.

Visit edmonton.ca/wastecollections

Myth or Fact: Going Bagless Makes Thatch

MYTH!

Going bagless will not make more thatch. On the contrary, grass clippings are great for your lawn!

Thatch is mostly old roots, stems, and leaves that have not yet broken down. It's a layer of accumulated dead stuff between your living grass, and their roots and soil. This build-up is typically made of the types of debris that are most resistant to decay, such as dead leaves, grass roots, and stems.

Grass needs some thatch for protection. But when the thatch layer is too thick, it can be a boundary that blocks nutrients, water, and air from reaching the root system. This leads to poor grass health.

Won't the Grassclippings Add More Thatch?

It's easy to see why so many people believe this myth. But it's just not true.
Grass clippings are 80 to 85% water. So they break down quickly and do not add to thatch.

Lawn care experts agree that going bagless is a great way to support lush and healthy grass.

The primary causes of thatch are over-watering and over-fertilizing. These encourage excessive root growth. The roots take longer to break down, so the thatch layer builds up.

Going bagless is great for your lawn. Grass clippings create a small layer of mulch to protect the soil and grass roots. As clippings break down, they return water and valuable nutrients back to the soil.

Make sure to leave your clippings on the lawn!

Visit edmonton.ca/compost

Get the Keep Composting newsletter

(Get compost info straight to your inbox, just 4 newsletters/season.)

Go to Compost 'S cool

Image source: Blackhawk Hardware

   

Recap: MCR Munch & Mulch (June, 2018)

20 MCRs enjoyed a sunny, spring morning at Compost 'S cool, last Saturday. In good company, we learned, we chatted, we discussed, and we played in the dirt.

5 Ways to Deal with Grass, Leaves, and Plants... But Not "Compost"

• Mad Science: bokashi, extracts, teas & brews
• A Sensus of Humus: how to make leaf mold
• Interment: burial, trenching & double digging
• The Green, Green, Grass of Home: going bagless (grasscycling)
• Litter Bugs: chop & drop, deadheading, mulching & lasagna gardening

The group broke into four teams. Each team toured all four stations to learn about the topics above. At each station, one person from the team led a chat about the station.

Special thanks to MCR Deb P. She hosted the Mad Science station and taught us about bokashi. She even sent folks off with samples of EM (effective micro-organisms) to try their own bokashi compost.

The day ended with a fun game of Compost 'S cool charades.

Congrats to all those MCRs who were recognized for reaching milestones and long service. You rock!

We look forward to seeing everyone at the MCR Tree Planting, in July.

Stay in Touch: 5 Easy Ways to Record

• Click here record volunteering
• Visit MyVolunteerPage.com
• Email mcrp@edmonton.ca
• Phone 780-496-5991
• Text 780-668-0217

   

Myth or Fact: Toxic Compost

"I heard that rhubarb leaves will make my compost toxic. Is that true?"

MYTH!
Rhubarb leaves break down in a compost pile and will not add toxicity to your compost.
Go ahead! Throw them in.

Where Did This Myth Come From?
It is said that we first realized rhubarb leaves were toxic during World War I, when the leaves were promoted as a good food source in Britain. Many citizens fell ill, and they realized that the leaves were the cause!

Rhubarb leaves make us sick because they contain high concentration of a corrosive substance called oxalic acid. This acid is common in plants. At low levels, it is perfectly safe for human consumption. The sour stalks that make such yummy pies have small amounts of oxalic acid and are fine for us to enjoy all day long. The oxalic acid in just one rhubarb leaf can be hard on the kidneys and cause someone to feel unwell.

So Rhubarb Leaves Must Be Bad for the Compost, Right?
Wrong!

When the leaves begin to break down in your compost, the acid becomes diluted as it mixes with the rest of the material in the bin. This effectively neutralizes the acid, meaning that the finished product will be unaffected and is great to use on anything from house plants to vegetable gardens. In fact, rhubarb leaves contain some essential micronutrients that will benefit your compost nicely.

When adding rhubarb leaves to your compost, don't forget to also cut or rip them up, especially if you're adding a lot at once. Smaller pieces break down more quickly, and you avoid creating a matted layer that is harder to fluff your bin. It's win win!

Source: How To Garden Videos

Visit edmonton.ca/compost
Get the Keep Composting newsletter
(Get compost info straight to your inbox, just 4 newsletters/season.)
Go to Compost 'S cool

   

Dishing the Dirt on Compost Week 2018

Did you know that composting at home is a great way to reduce waste and improve lawns, gardens, and flowerbeds? Nutrient-rich compost builds soil and promotes healthy plant growth.

International Compost Awareness Week, May 6 to 12, is the perfect time to wake up your compost after a long winter or to start composting for the first time. The City offers the following to help residents learn about home composting:

• Learn the basics in one of our two-hour workshops, just $10 for the whole family, at Compost 'S cool, located near John Janzen Nature Centre. To register for workshops, visit edmonton.ca/eReg or call 311.
• Join us live on the City Facebook page Thursday, May 10 at 12:30 p.m. as we ask our resident compost expert about tips and tricks for starting and maintaining a healthy compost. Viewers are encouraged to ask questions in real time.
• Meet staff and volunteers for a Compost Coffee Break on Saturday, May 12, at Mandolin Books & Coffee Co. (6419 112 Avenue). Chat about home composting, ask questions, relax and enjoy a discounted coffee.
• Ask the Compost Doctor! Call 780-496-5526 or email compost@edmonton.ca with your basic or advanced compost questions.
• Follow @CompostScool on Facebook for pointers, tips, and news about special events. You can also subscribe to Keep Composting, a e-newsletter for composting tips and answers to frequently asked questions.

Visit edmonton.ca/compost for more information.

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Tell One Friend: Where to Get Compost Help

May is peak compost season. Time to fluff the pile and wake up your compost.
Does your neighbour or co-worker need help with their compost?

If the troubles go beyond just greens, browns, water, and air, that's okay. Ask questions and talk through it. What stuff are they composting? How often do they fluff? Does it get water? Does it get air? How do they use the compost?

If you are still stumped, refer them to the Compost Doctor: Markster Composter.
Edmontonians have lots of resources to get composting and keep composting...

• Visit edmonton.ca/compost
• Email compost@edmonton.ca
• Phone 780-496-5526
• Go to Compost 'S cool
• Get the newsletter Keep Composting

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Try these tips to connect with friends, family, neighbours, and co-workers.

One Small Ask
"If you ever have a problem, will you ask for help before you give up?”

Shift Social Norms
"Did you know that 30% of Edmonton houses say they compost?
That means that if you're not composting, one of your two neighbours does. Wow."

Create Social Diffusion
"I volunteer as a Master Composter Recycler. I know lots about composting, but I need experience with different compost bins.
If you see a friend with a compost, would you mention my name?”

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Next Tell One Friend: Make Waste-Wise Behaviours Visible

Previous Tell One Friend: Set up an Eco Station Box

     

Tell One Friend: Visit Compost 'S cool

Compost 'S cool is a great learning resource for compost beginners and experts. Visitors can see various backyard bins in action, get a lesson on worm composting, or even discuss the ins-and-outs of a Bokashi bucket.

Compost 'S cool is staffed on weekends and holidays from 10-4, Victoria Day to Labour Day.

If you know anyone who is curious about compost, struggling with their bin or just in need of a refresher, tell them to visit! Drop-in advice is always free!

Want more structured learning? Take a Basic Composting workshop for just $10!

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Use these ideas to remind your friends, family and co-workers:

Change habits
“Curious about composting, but not sure where to start? Visit Compost 'S cool and talk to an expert!”

Prompt them
"Composting is easy, when you have the knowledge. You can learn everything you need to know at Compost 'S cool."

One small ask
"Will you contact our compost experts if you have questions about composting?"

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Can't visit in person?

• Follow Compost 'S cool on Facebook
• Sign up to receive our e-newsletter, Keep Composting, just 4 times per year
• Email compost@edmonton.ca
• Phone 780-496-5526

Visit edmonton.ca/reusecentre for more about the Reuse Centre.
Next Tell One Friend: Label Your Leftovers Previous Tell One Friend: Go Bagless this Summer!

     

It's Time to "Wake Up" Your Compost!

Many Edmontonians compost because they know it’s an easy way to reduce household waste by turning it into a valuable soil enhancement. International Compost Awareness Week (May 7-13) is the ideal time for residents to revitalize their gardens by stirring their compost or taking up composting for the first time!

Do you know how to wake up your compost?
The City of Edmonton is offering the following opportunities
to help residents better understand composting:

• Take a basic or advanced two-hour workshop for only $10 at Compost ‘S cool, located near John Janzen Nature Centre.
  Workshops offered April 23 to May 6.
• Ask the Compost Doctor anything you want to know about compost by calling 780-496-5526 or email compost@edmonton.ca.
• Follow along with the conversation on Facebook@CompostScool. Get pointers and to-do lists for your weekend, plus learn something about organics recycling, every week.

To register for workshops, go to edmonton.ca/eReg or call 311.

Looking Ahead to 2017!

2016 was a great year for our team at the City. The dedication and enthusiasm of MCRs played an important role in this success. We're excited for things to come in 2017!

• Public consultation for the Waste Strategic Plan will take place in the spring.
• This will include possible automated collection and/or separate collection of compostables.
• Construction continues on the Anaerobic Digestion Facility (completion by end of year).
• The Waste-to-Biofuels Facility continues commissioning.
• Edmonton has teamed up with the National Zero Waste Council. We will research and begin developing programming about reducing residential food waste.

For the MCR Program in 2017

• Introducing a Waste Video of the Week, every Wednesday
• New volunteer roles at Compost ‘S cool
• Sharing the online version of MCR Training with all existing MCRs
• Hosting “Refresher Training sessions” every three months.
• Receiving new toys at Compost ‘S cool

Edmonton’s waste services has many impressive employees. From engineers at the EWMC, operators at the plants, collectors on trucks, attendants at Eco Stations, presenters in schools, to canvassers at doorsteps. The men and women who keep the system running are smart, passionate, and innovative folks.

But Sarah and Rodney are lucky because we get to see the amazing things that volunteers do for Edmonton’s waste system. MCRs are universally smart, passionate, and innovative.

From Rodney

I am still learning to be a dad, but I deeply appreciate that “it takes a village to raise a child.” One of the many gifts that my son and daughter have already received in life is the gift of community and volunteerism here in Edmonton.

I am ever grateful to MCRs (people like you) for what you do to reduce waste and help Edmonton’s waste system. You give your skills, your time, your passion, and your creativity by speaking up and by telling friends and family that waste matters.

At a personal level, I am sincerely grateful to MCRs (and you) for making Edmonton a better place for my children, and for future generations. Thank you.
“A some point, everything will be discarded, and yet none of it is garbage.”

From Sarah

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again -- I really do consider myself lucky to work with such an amazing, passionate group of volunteers. Master Composter Recyclers are giving, thoughtful Edmontonians who truly want a better, greener future for our city and our planet.

Part of my job is to teach MCRs about Edmonton’s waste system, but I have learned so much from my fellow MCRs. This community has been invaluable in helping me to shift my behaviours, thoughts, and actions to sustainable alternatives. We challenge and inspire each other to be better every day.

Thank you for a great year, and here’s to less waste in 2017!