Happy 2021.  A new year brings new beginnings and we’re excited to announce a new partnership with Compost Winnipeg for compost collection at our Paterson GlobalFoods Institute (PGI) building.  Compost Winnipeg is a social enterprise of the Green Action Centre, a local non-profit organization.  As a social enterprise, they operate their business in a manner that strikes a social, cultural, environmental and economic balance – an approach that aligns with RRC’s sustainability values.

Did you know that the compost program at PGI has been operating since 2013?  Over the past 8 years, we’ve kept 475 tonnes of material from making a dead-end trip to the landfill.  When organic material like food waste is sent to landfill, it is buried in an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment, and produces methane gas when it decomposes.  Methane is a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.  When organic material is composted, it decomposes under ideal conditions to create a nutrient rich soil which can be used as fertilizer in gardens, landscaping and more.  By composting 475 tonnes of material from PGI, we have prevented the equivalent of 420 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere or saved 182,000 litres of gas. A job well done!

So, what material can be composted at PGI? The PGI compost program accepts all food waste (including meat, bones and dairy), and fibre based material such as tea bags, coffee filters, paper napkins and compostable food packaging.  Compost Winnipeg picks up the material from PGI and brings it to the Prairie Green facility in Stony Mountain for composting.  The finished compost is used as top cover for the landfill.

Special thanks to all the Instructors, students and staff who work hard every day to keep this important program afloat, even through a pandemic.  We’re looking forward to working with Compost Winnipeg to grow our compost program over the coming years. Stay tuned!

For those of you looking to make a sustainable change at home, Compost Winnipeg offers compost collection services for homes, apartments, condos and one-time events.  Find out more here.