It is likely that many readers of the Millstone will have already heard of our new composting project. Thanks to many wonderful supporters, the clips of us on Regional Contact and CBC radio have already been making the rounds on social media (@justgoodcompost). But for those who haven't heard (drumroll please) I would like to introduce you to Just Good Compost, a new pilot project that we are starting here in Almonte. My wife and I both grew up in town, and when we moved back here last year to raise our son, we were surprised that the municipality doesn't offer a green bin program. Living in the city, we became accustomed to composting, and felt a pang of guilt every time we threw our kitchen scraps in the garbage. So, necessity being the mother of invention, with the help of an outstanding team of volunteers, we have decided to start our own.
Our process is simple. We have a number of refurbished 3-gallon buckets that we obtained from a food truck in the city. Each week we give members a bucket to fill with their kitchen scraps, and replace it with a clean one. Kitchen scraps are taken to farms around town to be composted. No worries of smells, no rats or racoons, no hiking out in the snow in -40 degree weather. Unlike your backyard bin, we also take everything, including meat and bones. Our motto is "If you eat it, we'll take it". When it is ready, members are free to take as much compost as they need.
While this is an eco-friendly pilot project , there is also a strong community component. Excess compost will be offered to local charities, such as the Youth Centre, who will use it in their fundraising. As we grow, we look forward to inviting other community organizations to invite them into this initiative.
Ultimately, with the community's help we would like to create a model that can be exported to other municipalities who are unable to sustain their own compost program. We would love to have you on board. If you would like more information or to sign up, please check out the website justgoodcompost.com or reach out to the team: justgoodcompost@gmail.com
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