Green is the colour: Regina resident gives compost bin stamp of approval

Regina homeowners can expect to see a green bin rolling onto their driveway soon, if they haven’t already.

Green thumb Rita Rushton’s neighbourhood in Hillsdale was part of the city’s pilot project in September 2020.

She is excited for everyone to use the bins.

“I think it’s really good for the environment and I think that everybody who has the opportunity to participate should,” she said.

She has her own personal compost that she’s been using for more than five years.

“A neighbour of mine was moving into a new house and the new house came with a compost bin and she didn’t want it, so I traded something that I had that I didn’t use anymore for her compost bin,” Rushton said. “I was super-excited to start using it. I’ve used it for my food scraps (and) my leaves and then I use the compost to put in my garden.”

The inside of Rushton’s personal compost bin. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

She plans to use both her personal compost and the green bin provided by the city.

“In the instructions (for the green bin) it says that you can put all of the food scraps in it,” she said. “Everything like greasy pizza boxes (and) all of your paper products can go in there. So it’s actually a lot broader than what you can do in your own personal compost bins.

“There’s lots of things that you can’t compost in your own personal compost that can go into the city’s bins so it’s super-exciting.”

The green bins accept meat and fish scraps like bones as well as dairy products. Personal composts have some limitations as they can’t generate enough heat to break down certain items like an industrial facility can.

Trying to compost fats, oil, grease or meat products in a backyard system could also attract unwanted pests. Opting to send those items to a city facility is a better alternative.

A company hired by the City of Regina is trying to build a composting facility in the RM of Edenwold, but it’s having trouble getting it built.

In a post-pilot survey done by the city, more than half of users reported no problems with their green cart. Those who did have issues had concerns with odour or found it messy.

Rushton said that hasn’t bothered her.

“The compost from your food scraps does start to smell a little bit, but I just put mine (counter-top compost bin) outside my back door when it gets to that point,” she said.

Countertop compost bin. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

The green bins can divert 50 per cent of garbage waste, according to the City of Regina, and Rushton agrees.

“Think about the amount of food scraps that you put in the garbage, and not only that but all of the paper that you would normally recycle, so rather than the paper going into the recycling bin and the food going in the garbage, all of that can go into the compost now,” she said.

It’s still important to recycle paper, but all the paper products that can’t be recycled like old art projects or soiled paper towels are best suited for the compost.

Rushton will use her personal bin for her garden and the green bin for items her personal bin can’t break down.

“It’s really good to put into your garden bed and things like that,” she said. “All of the nutrients that are in the food and all of the materials that are in the paper it can all break down. It’s all organic so it can break down. Then it goes back into the land instead of into the landfill.”

She thinks composting is a great move for the city.

“I think it’s excellent that Regina is catching up with a lot of other places. I have a friend who lives in Ontario and he said that Ontario has been doing composting for years. So it’s great that Regina is getting caught up with the rest of the country,” she said.

Green bins will continue to be distributed throughout Regina during the month of August, with services starting Sept. 4.