Why should I compost?
Rardless 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 a diversity of nutrients and microorganisms that will improve plant growth. Chemical fertilizers on the other hand provide a quick burst of a limited number of nutrients that can wash away into our rivers and streams. Compost also 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!
- Reduce Green House Gases (GHG’s) in two ways:
- Reduce Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from vehicles used to transport waste
- Organics in landfills break down anaerobically (without oxygen) to produce methane gas, a greenhouse gas 21 times more harmful than CO2.
- 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!
Questions about composting? Call our compost info line:
204 925 3777 or Toll Free: 1 866 394 8880
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OPENING DAY!
Jun 26 2025 On June 27th, the people of Winnipeg will be welcome to cross the street at Portage & Main! At Green Action Centre, we were passionate Vote Open supporters back in 2018. Here's a little post providing a little context.
OPENING DAY!
Jun 26 2025 On June 27th, the people of Winnipeg will be welcome to cross the street at Portage & Main! At Green Action Centre, we were passionate Vote Open supporters back in 2018. Here's a little post providing a little context.
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Learn the ins and outs of the Winnipeg Cycling Map to plan a bike route that suits your comfort level. Become familiar with the various types of infrastructure � from cycletracks to sharrows to bike lanes. Find tips and tools to help you ride more often to more places.
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Learn the ins and outs of the Winnipeg Cycling Map to plan a bike route that suits your comfort level. Become familiar with the various types of infrastructure � from cycletracks to sharrows to bike lanes. Find tips and tools to help you ride more often to more places.
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Have you ever thought about the resources required to make your cell phone? Or what it took to produce the jeans you are wearing? From resource extraction to disposal, the materials economy has created a linear system of consumption on the finite planet we call home. This presentation covers ways to help our planet � buy�less,�fix�more, trade often, and divert all waste from the landfill.
Buy Less, Fix More, Trade Often
Have you ever thought about the resources required to make your cell phone? Or what it took to produce the jeans you are wearing? From resource extraction to disposal, the materials economy has created a linear system of consumption on the finite planet we call home. This presentation covers ways to help our planet � buy�less,�fix�more, trade often, and divert all waste from the landfill.
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Get the tools and tips you need to ride your bike, hop on a bus, carpool, or walk to work and elsewhere. Learn how to use the various transit tools, plan your route to bike to work, and begin thinking of your daily travel options in a whole new way. Create a commute that you�ll enjoy!
Bike Maintenance 101
Get the tools and tips you need to ride your bike, hop on a bus, carpool, or walk to work and elsewhere. Learn how to use the various transit tools, plan your route to bike to work, and begin thinking of your daily travel options in a whole new way. Create a commute that you�ll enjoy!