The Compost Education Centre is hosting a series of free workshops in September to help you hit paydirt in the name of sustainability.
Not every municipality in Greater Victoria offers curbside collection for compost, so the centre is hoping to engage more residents to start doing so in their own backyards.
“Fall is a great time to start composting, because you can collect lots of leaves and things start to get moist,” says Kayla Siefried, education co-ordinator at the centre.
Starting this Saturday (Sept. 9), Compost Basics will allow participants to learn a variety of systems to determine what will work best for them. Advanced Composting (Sept. 16), is for folks with more yard space who want to compost quicker and use the material to nourish their gardens.
Soil: Really Important Tiny Lives (Sept. 23) will look at the eco-system that exists in a compost system and contributes to healthy soil, the foundation of any sustainable operation.
With a ban on food scraps in the landfill, Siefried says it’s illegal to send your food waste there. For residents whose municipality does not handle green bin pickup – Victoria and Esquimalt do – it means shelling out for a private contractor to pick up your compost, which is also energy intensive to move around as it’s often transported off-Island.
This is what makes composting in your own backyard so important, explains Siefried.
“Even if they’re not gardeners, it’s totally still a worthwhile workshop for people to learn how to save money and benefit the environment,” she says.
And don’t worry if you can’t make all three workshops; Siefried says each one stands on its own to provide participants great tips.
Visit the Compost Education Centre online for more information or to register.
kristyn.anthony