Residential backyard composting program announced

Tom Osborne, Minister of Environment and Conservation, and John Scott, Chair and CEO of the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB), today announced a new residential backyard composting program for the province. The announcement coincides with International Composting Awareness Week, May 1-7.

Under the new program, MMSB will partner with provincial, regional and community stakeholders to implement a province-wide public awareness and education campaign that will promote the benefits of, and techniques associated, with backyard composting. MMSB will also make backyard compost bins available to interested households throughout the province at a subsidized price to encourage increased participation in this activity. For households interested in building their own compost bins, MMSB will provide a "build-your-own" plan at no cost.

"Organic waste makes up as much as 30 per cent of all waste generated in Newfoundland and Labrador," said Minister Osborne. "With relatively modest effort, most households can divert a significant portion of their organic waste through backyard composting and, in doing so, help achieve the province�s 50 per cent waste diversion goal. This new composting initiative will give households the tools and knowledge they need to participate in this important waste management activity."

Minister Osborne said there are a variety of benefits from backyard composting. He said while organic materials such as food waste, grass clippings and yard leaves may not seem harmful to the environment, they produce undesirable greenhouse gases when held in a landfill. As well, when water runs through decomposing organic material in a landfill, it produces a toxic liquid commonly known as leachate which can pollute surrounding waterways if not properly contained.

"Backyard composting also offers the opportunity for municipalities to lower their overall waste collection and disposal costs since a significant amount of waste can be diverted from landfills through this effort," added the minister. "Composting also produces a valuable, natural organic material that can enhance the health and beauty of lawns and gardens. And, contrary to popular belief among some people, backyard composting does not attract pests or generate strong odours when undertaken properly."

Mr. Scott indicated that the overall goal of the new program is to increase participation in backyard composting by 50 per cent over a two-year period from the current household participation rate of 20 per cent. "If we meet this target, it will mean that 20,000 new households will be participating in backyard composting by the year 2007, diverting an estimated 2,000 tonnes of additional waste annually from our landfills," said Mr. Scott.

MMSB will be inviting regional waste management committees, municipalities and other community-based organizations to participate in the implementation of the new residential composting initiative. Details on both the educational aspect of the program and the availability and pricing of compost bins will be announced by MMSB in the near future once the results of a public tender for the bulk purchase of bins are known.

Minister Osborne added, "This new program is one in a series of new waste diversion and recycling initiatives that have been announced recently or which are in the advanced planning stages by the Department of Environment and Conservation and MMSB. I commend the leadership shown by MMSB on this particular program and look forward to working with the board as government continues to be proactive in waste diversion and recycling efforts throughout the province."

MMSB is a provincial Crown agency that reports to the Minister of Environment and Conservation. MMSB supports modern waste management practices in the province, with a particular focus on waste diversion, recycling and public education, in order to ensure a clean and healthy environment throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Media contact:
  Dave Penney, Communications, MMSB, (709) 753-0993
  Sonia Glover, Communications, Environment and Conservation, (709) 729-2575, 685-6612

2005 05 06                                              10:15 a.m.