Re: “Better than composting?”

In response to Better than composting?, published September, 23, 2009.

I would like to respond to the article “Better than composting?” published in the Sept. 24 issue of The Uniter (page 4), for which I was interviewed. As the project co-ordinator for Resource Conservation Manitoba’s Compost Action Project, I am familiar with many different methods of composting, although I have not had any experience with the Bokashi method and I don’t know anyone who has.

The article alludes to the fact that Bokashi is not composting, but according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary compost is defined as “a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing and conditioning land.” Waste is being decayed in the Bokashi airtight container and the product would be used as a fertilizer, therefore, I would consider this a type of composting.

Choosing the most suitable method of composting depends on different factors such as the amount of waste you produce, how much space you have and if you have a yard. The Bokashi method could be ideal for some people but might not be the solution for everyone.

We felt that the article indicated that composting was not an ideal environmental practice and we think that this is incorrect. Composting has numerous benefits for the environment, for your pocket book and for your garden. Therefore, I would certainly say that composting is an ideal waste reduction practice.

You can reduce your carbon footprint by composting since you are diverting organics from going in the landfill. Due to the lack of oxygen exposed to the decaying material, organics in the landfill release methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Landfills always produce methane and can have a methane collection systems are in place, as proposed at the Brady Landfill, but these systems never capture 100 per cent of the methane. In a backyard bin, carbon dioxide is released instead of methane, as this is an aerobic process. So the more waste you divert from the landfill, the better!

In your article, you state that large-scale composting can produce methane. This is true but not in all cases. Many large-scale composting systems require oxygen input, thereby avoiding methane production. If a system that is meant to be aerobic, such as windrow composting, and is anaerobic due to lack of oxygen, it’s just not proper composting.

To get more information on composting, please visit www.resourceconservation.mb.ca or call 925-3777.

Sylvie Hébert
Compost Project Co-ordinator
Resource Conservation Manitoba

– Sylvie Hébert

Published in Volume 64, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 22, 2009)