Living surrounded by the natural beauty of the Muskoka region, most, if not all residents aim to do their part in environmental conservation. It takes all of us working together to keep this area pristine and healthy. We have some choices to make when it comes to composting, or not. This has become a topic of discussion amongst District officials, as it’s come to light that our green composting bin program, as part of the regions’ waste management practices, could do with some improving.
Noted in an article recently published by the Huntsville Doppler, there was a recent meeting with various Muskoka officials to discuss options and ideas to increase the amount of kitchen waste which is composted instead of being sent to our landfills. You may wonder why food waste in a landfill is not a good thing, food scraps are biodegradable right? At the outset this is true, but how food is allowed to degrade can come with great benefits or negative side effects.
The negative side effects are where the District of Muskoka wants to educate residents further to encourage beneficial food compost over adding food waste to landfills. When not composted properly, food scraps create greenhouse gasses and a release of toxic substances such as leachate. By composting food waste this can be avoided. While there’s ongoing discussion around finding solutions to encourage food composting, there are ways you can get started if you haven’t already.
Currently one of the challenges in the region is that only municipal urban waste collection areas are taking food scraps at the curb alongside yard debris and refuse garbage. For those living in rural areas outside of the urban area, it’s up to you to bring your food waste to specified locations in towns like Huntsville, or to compost on your own property. One benefit for donating your compost is the free composted fertilizer that’s made available to area residents, perfect for when it’s time to plant your garden each year.
For many living in the more rural areas, there’s concern about wildlife being attracted to food composting. If handled properly this concern can be minimized. To encourage everyone to compost, the District of Muskoka has already instituted the Backyard Compost Rebate Program. If you’re considering doing your own composting, be sure to check out this rebate and review the helpful tips and information provided so you can compost in the most beneficial way.
There may be no new answers yet, but officials are exploring ways to increase food composting around the region. Being aware of what you can do now is one way to get involved in this community-focused issue to which we all contribute and to which we can all be a part of the solution.
When it’s time to buy or sell your Muskoka home, cottage or condo, you want to work with a local team which cares about this community. The Rick Wearing & Sandra Parrott Team is a team you can trust. We live here too and love where we live; the Muskoka region thrives on community connections. Let us put our care and local expertise to work for you. Please call us at 705-788-3535 or email at info@WearingParrottTeam.com today!
This information is taken from sources deemed to be reliable. The Wearing Parrott Team does not guarantee accuracy; we recommend information be validated independently.