Local News
From kitchen scraps to tree canopies: Steinbach's composting efforts flourish
There is a noticeable dedication to composting from residents in Steinbach and the City’s Head of Solid Waste is thrilled to see the growing trend. Eldon Wallman says people are not only dropping off compostable material at the community depots, but they also bring it to the landfill where there’s a compost bin at the transfer station. “We used to take it away for the winter, but not anymore. The last two years, we’ve had to keep it there because people bring (compost) year-round now. That’s pretty cool.” He notes there's a huge pile of compost right now at the landfill that will be offered to the public. “It’s big and it’s wet, so it has to dry out. Mother Nature is not cooperating this spring. We need about two or three weeks of dry weather so that we can screen it to give it away. But it's not looking promising at this point, we may have to have a big pile (to give away in) fall.” Wallman notes it won’t all be available to the public. “We keep about half of it for the residents to come back and pick up. The other half we give to Edwin and Russ and Mallory and the crew at the Parks and Rec department. They do a great job with their beautification and their tree planting. They put a lot of this stuff into their tree planting. We plant thousands of trees a year. People don't realize that. There's lots that get planted in Steinbach every year.” For people who are looking at creating their own compost at home, Wallman says there are some helpful tools that can make it easier, such as a bin designed for composting. “If you get one that's a barrel that turns, those are fantastic. They work really well. The Earth bins that we had a few years ago, where you have to go in with the turner and turn this stuff, not a good success rate with the stuff that goes in there, but on the ones that you can turn in the drum, they work outstanding.” While he is ecstatic to see such an increase in the amount of composting done by Steinbach residents, Wallman believes we can do more. Whether it be through diverting grass clippings and leaves from the landfill to the compost bins, or being more diligent with composting kitchen waste, he challenges residents to find ways to improve composting habits. “You can get the nice little compost bins for under the sink. Don't mix it up with your garbage. Make sure you put it in the right one, but you can line it with the compostable bag and clean it out at the end of the week. Make sure you clean it out. Those bags won't last very long, they start composting very quickly, and bring it to a depot or bring it to the landfill. We'll take it any time, any day of the year.” Did you know? -Coffee grounds, coffee filters, tea leaves, and tea bags are great for composting -Egg shells and bread can also go into the compost pile Wallman says there is a lot that we can compost and some items that need to stay OUT of the compost pile. He says it’s important to put meat, fish, and bones into the garbage. Those materials can really mess with the composition of the compost pile.