Why Should I Compost?

Regardless of whether you’re a garden enthusiast with a large yard or an apartment dweller, there is a composting system that will work for you. Green Action Centre is here to help!

Why Should I Compost?

There are lots of good reasons to compost. Save money, save resources, improve your soil and reduce your impact on the environment. Regardless of your reasons, composting is a win/win scenario. Good for you and good for the environment.

Adding compost to your garden will not only fertilize, it actually feeds your soil with diverse nutrients and microorganisms that will improve plant growth. Chemical fertilizers only provide a quick burst of a limited number of nutrients that can wash away into our rivers and streams. Compost, however, increases soil stability, improves drainage, and helps retain moisture.

Save Money!

• No need to buy chemical fertilizers. Compost is free!
• Compost helps to retain soil moisture so you water less.
• The nutrients from compost are not washed away by rainfall. No waste!

Save Resources!

• Keeps a valuable resource out of the landfill.
• Waste less water since compost helps with moisture retention.
• Reduce civic costs for waste collection and thereby reduce fuel use.
• Extend the life of landfills. Remember, residential waste is 40% compostable materials.

Improve Your Soil!

• Compost returns valuable nutrients to the soil to help maintain soil quality and fertility.
• Compost is a mild, slow release, natural fertilizer that won’t burn plants like chemical fertilizers.
• It also improves texture and air circulation for heavier soils (like Manitoba gumbo) and helps to increase the water retention of sandy soils.
• Provides organic matter and nutrients which will improve plant growth and  lead to better yields.

Reduce Your Impact!

• Organics in landfills break down anaerobically (without oxygen) to produce methane gas, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Reduce CO₂ emissions from vehicles used to transport waste
• Reduce the impact of chemical fertilizers that runoff into our rivers, lakes, and streams.
• Buried organics can react with metals in the landfill to produce toxic leachate, a potential source of groundwater pollution.
• By composting, you complete the cycle by returning what you grow back to the soil to help you grow!

Composting Video

Now that you know all the great reasons for composting, why not learn just how easy it is to do. With the help of a couple of young filmmakers and some funding from Assiniboine Credit Union, we were able to produce this fun video on the basics of composting. Enjoy!