sdgds

Learn How to Compost

Worm Composting Workshop

Do you want to compost, but live in an apartment and don’t have a backyard? Worm Composting allows you to turn your uncooked vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters, egg shells, etc into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner for your plants. The City of Vancouver has a limited number of Worm Composters available at the low price of $25. The units come complete with the bin, lid and tray, worms, bedding and instructions, and a mandatory one hour workshop at the Compost Demonstration Garden.

To register for the workshops or to get more information, call the Compost Hotline at 604.736.2250. Only open to residents of the City of Vancouver.

 

Backyard Compost Workshops

Visit the City Farmer Demonstration Garden to see different methods of composting in the City. They are located at 2150 Maple Street, Kitsilano, Vancouver BC. Phone ahead! 604-736-2250

Backyard Composter Photo Series - a visual “how to” guide from City Farmer

 

Questions About Composting?

Compost Hotline

City Farmer runs the Vancouver Regional Compost Hotline! You can call or email them and get connected to a compost expert that will help you through your toughest compost questions. You can ask them why your compost smells bad, how to keep out rodents, or even how to stop fruit flies!

Hotline: 604.736.2250
Email: composthotline@telus.net

 

Composting on Campus

While most major universities in British Columbia already have composting facilities, SFU has fallen behind in terms of sustainability. SustainableSFU’s Composting Project is working toward the installation of composting facilities on the Burnaby Campus.

Current priorities include:

• researching best practices
• researching past campus composting initiatives, both at SFU and elsewhere
• determining the next steps to making composting a reality
  • developing a composting proposal
  • creating an online network (find us on Facebook!)
  • engaging students in a composting campaign!

If you are interested in being involved in this project, email sustainablesfu@gmail.com

 

Get a Compost Bin for Your House

Vancouver

You can buy a backyard composter from the City of Vancouver for $25 ($50 if you are not a resident of the City of Vancouver).  Backyard composters can be obtained at the Vancouver South Transfer Station at 377 West Kent Avenue North. Each composter comes with an instruction manual. There is a limit of 3 composters per household.

Residential Food Scraps Pick Up: If you currently receive the City yard trimmings collection service, you can now add uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and filters, teabags, and eggshells into your yard trimmings cart for composting. Click here to learn more.

For Vancouver Compost Instructions and Care click here.

 

Burnaby Composting

Burnaby sells compost bins to encourage residents to compost. Call General Enquiries at 604.294.7460 or Recycling at 604.294.7972 for more information.

Residential Food Scraps Pick Up: The City currently provide food scraps recycling for single and two family residents and is currently running a Multi-Family Food Scraps Recycling Pilot Project. Click here for a list of food allowed, and how you can get your food scraps picked up!

 

Surrey Composting

The City of Surrey sells Earth Machine Back Yard Composters to Surrey residents for $25.00. Payment for the composter must be made at the Engineering Front Counter at Surrey City Hall (14245 – 56 Ave., Mon-Fri: 8:30am – 4:30pm)  and the composter must be picked up from the Engineering Operations Works Yard (6645 – 148 St., Mon-Fri: 8:00am – 3:30pm). For more information click here.

 

Richmond Composting
Richmond residents can purchase backyard compost bins for $25. To purchase a bin, visit the Recycling Depot at 5555 Lynas Lane.  Open Wednesday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. (closed on statutory holidays). For more information click here.

There is also a Compost Demonstration Garden relocated to the 2631 Westminster Highway in the Terra Nova Rural Park is now open. Come visit!

 

Port Coquitlam Composting
Backyard composters are available at a subsidized rate of $25 at the Operations Centre, 1737 Broadway Street (cash or cheque only please). For more information, call 604.927.5488 or 604.927.5480.

Port Coquitlam has a great FAQ site about composting in the City that you can check out here.

 

Get a Compost Bin for Your Apartment or Office

Worm Composting is probably the easiest and best way to have a compost if you live in an apartment. When you take care of them properly you will not have any smells or flies – just beautiful compost for your house plants or garden!

• City Farmer’s Worm Composting Guide
• Red Wiggler Worm Suppliers
• Worm Composting photo series
• Metro Vancouver’s Here’s the Dirt: Worm Composting brochure
• Try using Bokashi to compost in your apartment!

 

Compost Materials:

If you’re looking to for compost or materials to compost with, we’ve started this list that may help you find what you’re looking for:

• Free Compost for households: Free compost during the last weekend in May at the City of Vancouver’s composting facility’s open house: 604-940-3211
• Most tree removal service companies will drop off a load of free woodchips to you because then they don’t have to pay to take it to the transfer station. Find them in the phone book or online!
• Many cafes and coffee shops will save you their coffee grinds if you (and your friends) come and pick them up on a regular basis. This is a great addition to any compost pile!
• If you live near a horse stable, ask them if you can have any of their old bedding/manure. It’s good to ask if they medicate any of the animals because you don’t want medicine in your compost at home.

 

This Local Food Guide has been brought to you by the generous support of: