9/30/14

Compost Council of Canada Conference Celebrates Nova Scotia & Its Leadership in Organics Recycling

24th National Compost Conference Held in Halifax

Randy Delorey, minister or Nova Scotia Environment, kicked off this year's compost conference with a nod to the province's leadership in organics diversion from landfills, which began in the late 1990s, with the result that now "95% of households have green bins,.... and the disposal rate is 1/2 the Canadian average."

Keynote speaker Odette Ménard of the Quebec agriculture ministry enthralled attendees with tales of worms (have you noticed the organic debris piles they create?) and praise for healthy soils.  "Land is giving us everything, and we need to give back to it.  Waste management is now soil feeding," she said.  She extolled the virtues of adding organic matter to the soil surface and no-till.  She stressed the difference between fertilization (feeding the plants) and fertility (feeding the soil so that plants will grow well in the futue even without further human intervention).

Biosolids were a significant part of the Conference. The 100 conference tour attendees were excited about visiting a  leading dairy farm north of Halifax (above) where biosoldis, wood ash, and composted manure pack bedding are all part of the farm's fertility program.  NEBRA moderated a biosolids-focused session, with presentations by Susheel Aurora (Halifax Regional Municipality), Tom Harz (N-Viro Canada), and Lise Leblanc and Misty Croney (LP Consulting).  Later in the day, Bryan Tisch of Natural Resources Canada reviewed decades of successful experiences reclaiming mine tailings and other disturbed sites using biosolids and other residuals.

NEBRA extends great thanks to CCC for including us in the planning and sponsorship of the conference.