R4: Compost

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About Composting

Composting is Nature's way of recycling. Composting decomposes and transforms organic material into a soil-like product called humus (pronounced "hue-mous"). Food scraps, leaves and yard trimmings, paper, wood, manures, and the remains of agricultural crops are excellent organic materials which can be composted.

Composting is an important way to recycle -- both at home and at work, where organic material is used and waste is created. It is estimated that about 50 percent of the total waste stream could be composted! Composting not only helps to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills, it produces a valuable soil amendment which can improve the texture and fertility of the soil.

R4 Compost focuses on the recycling of organic waste produced on campus, and by Concordia Community members at home.

Composting at Concordia University

Concordia University sends approximately 650 tons of wastes to landfills every year. According to the waste audit conducted by the R4 student group in 2005, about 20% of the university’s wastes are biodegradable. In the kitchens and cafeterias, the proportion of biodegradable wastes is as high as 60% (2006 statistics). R4 Compost has estimated that about 100 tons of organic waste could be composted annually. In the hope of minimizing the environmental impacts related to the transportation of our wastes and their burying, the objective of R4 Compost is to promote in situ development of organic wastes.

On this note, since 2005, R4 has built two composting sites on both campuses of the university (Sir George William and Loyola). A total of 10 tons of left-over foods and coffee grounds were collected from 4 kitchens and cafés on the Sir George Williams campus located downtown (Java U Café and Chartwells Zest Cafeteria) and on the Loyola campus in Notre-Dame-de-Grace (Science Café and Centre de la Petite Enfance les P’tits Profs) between 2005 and 2007. In 2008, R4 has launched a new large-scale composting facility on the Loyola campus. Please check out the Loyola Compost page for more information.