Positive numbers for composting
by Keith Barker
In 2008, Canadian households produced over 12 million tonnes of waste. Of this total, about 8.5 million tonnes were sent to public and private waste disposal facilities, while over 4 million tonnes were sent for recycling or composting through waste diversion programs.
A new study released July 10 by Statistics Canada, “Composting by households in Canada”, confirms that things in the composting industry are looking very positive, at least from the perspective of growth in residential participation rates. Specifically, the study highlights the fact that in 2011, 61% of Canadian households participated in some form of composting, which amounts to a more than doubled composting rate since 1994. (The study is based on data from a 2011 Households and the Environment Survey, conductedas part of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators initiative.)
“It’s so spectacular to see the growth, and to see it doubled!” says Susan Antler, the Executive Director of the Compost Council of Canada. “And its been based on individuals, and individual organizations, with the guidance of various provincial organizations. It’s everyone working together towards a common good.”
Also interesting in the study from Statistics Canada, is the fact that households in PEI (96%) and Nova Scotia (94%) were most likely to have composted, and that these high rates reflect the presence of strict waste management regulations in both provinces. Households that were least likely to compost are currently in Quebec (42%) and Newfoundland & Labrador (43%) where regulations are not so strict.
Plus, with respect to composting in large metropolitan areas, Toronto boasts a rate of 76%, with Vancouver at 56% and Montréal at 40%. Well done Toronto!
Of course, it’s not all roses. Gains in residential participation is only one part of the overall composting equation.
“The infrastructure still needs to gain in depth and breadth, and so there continues to be lots of opportunities to move forward,” says Antler. “We’ve got our foot in the door, but the whole house still has to be built. Its the infrastructure, the ongoing education, the standards and the markets – that’s what makes a house a “home”. It’s not over.”
Be sure to mark your calendar for September 11-13 in Toronto, for the Compost Council of Canada’s annual event; this year called “Feed the Soil”.
In related news, Ontario has just proposed the province’s new Waste Reduction Act, which appears to be a fairly significant step towards increased diversion and more efficient EPR policy in a province where rates overall have hovered near 25% for a decade. The new strategy is largely focused on the IC&I sector, includes disposal bans on select products, and it identifies the opportunity for the development of a comprehensive organics recycling strategy.