The Compost Council
of Canada is a national non-profit, member-driven organization
with a charter to advocate and advance organics residuals recycling
and compost use. It serves as the central resource and network for
the compost industry in Canada and, through its members, contributes
to the environmental sustainability of the communities in which they
operate.
10
Reasons to Love Compost
In
the tradition of Top 10 lists, here are some of the reasons to become
part of the "Green Wave of Recycling".
1.
Send
less to landfill.
Organics represent over one-third of the materials being sent
to landfills. Whether through backyard or large-scale composting
or anaerobic digestion, those banana peels, apple cores and
other organic materials can be recycled.
2.
Reduce
greenhouse gases. According to Environment Canada,
landfill sites account for about 38 per cent of Canada's total
methane emissions. It's the organics that are buried in the
landfill that are a key contributor to this production of greenhouse
gases.
3.
Recover
valuable materials. Composting produces compost,
the single most important ingredient for healthy and productive
soil.
4.
Decrease
soil erosion. Soil erosion can remove nutrients
from the soil, reducing its productivity, as well as reducing
runoff that can carry sediment, nutrients and chemicals into
waterways thereby creating new sources of pollution. Compost
helps enhance soil structure and binds soil particles together.
5.
Revitalize
soil. Compost helps provide sustenance for the
very necessary biological diversity in the soil. Plants depend
on this to convert materials into plant available nutrients
and to keep the soil well-aerated.
6.
Reduce
the need to water. By improving the soil structure
through the addition of compost, water is retained and available
for plants.
7.
Reduce
the need for pesticides. Compost can help suppress
plant diseases.
8.
Save
money. Through backyard composting, you can turn
your leftover organics into a valuable soil amendment without
spending a dime.
9.
Make
your garden grow. Compost provides essential organic
matter for the soil, which is of fundamental importance to its'
health, vitality and fertility.
10.
Make
a positive environmental difference. With compost,
you can take resources otherwise regarded as waste - organic
residuals - and turn them into something of value while at the
same time realizing landfill and greenhouse gas reductions,
improved soil productivity and water quality.
Compost
… For the Love of the Earth !
For
more information, please e-mail us at info@compost.org
or call us at 1-877-571-GROW(4769).
This site is maintained by the Compost
Council of Canada.
Our limited resources make it difficult to provide a full range of information
services to non-members.
This site is updated as funds permit.
