2 weeks Ago By Winnipeg Free Press
I agree in part with Dennis Bayomi’s letter ( ) regarding city-wide composting — I’m not a fan of composting depots. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * I agree in part with Dennis Bayomi’s letter ( ) regarding city-wide composting — I’m not a fan of composting depots. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Opinion I agree in part with Dennis Bayomi’s letter ( ) regarding city-wide composting — I’m not a fan of composting depots.
I bought my backyard compost bin some 25 years ago, the cost of which was subsidized by the city of Winnipeg, and I used it. But there are limits to what can be composted in a backyard bin, and when one is able to compost. While I continued to put vegetable and fruit scraps into the bin once summer was over, it was full around Christmas.
I signed on with Winnipeg Composting a few years ago. This service provides me with a five gallon bucket that is picked up once a week, all year round. I am able to compost items that I wasn’t able to before: meat, dairy and fish scraps, along with tissues and compostable containers.
That, along with the city’s ‘leaf it’ program has meant that the amount I am putting into the landfill has decreased dramatically. I have also received humus from Winnipeg Composting, and happily added it to my garden beds. I support the initiation of a city-wide composting program as soon as possible.
Dennis Bayomi suggests that the city’s latest plan for composting, which is intended, it seems, for the next six years, literally “stinks.” I would suggest that many people support this perspective wholeheartedly. However, his suggestion about backyard composting is not the solution.
As a backyard composter, I am very fortunate to have space to locate my bins a considerable distance from my house. My bins are enclosed, so that other than flies and insects, I do not have mice and/or rats attempting to burrow into the mix. Moreover, any odours generated from sometimes imperfect mixing can dissipate before affecting my living space.
Perhaps I am not the ‘perfect’ composter, but I think I am not alone in this! In addition, there are so many ‘compostable’ items that cannot be added to my home bins — oils, meat and meat products, breads and dairy are only a few examples. Moreover, any paper products take so much time to decompose that I mostly avoid these technically ‘safe’ items. And then there is winter to consider.
All of these issues (and more) would be addressed with city-wide compost collection, and it is an embarrassment that the City of Winnipeg can’t find a way to implement this strategy until 2030. Are other jurisdictions just that much more forward-thinking? Like many people, I would be happy with weekly compost collection and biweekly garbage collection. This has worked well in other major cities, and I have seen how much less trash is generated with this system.
Come on, Winnipeg. Do better. I find that responding to yet another paid ad by Manitoba Pork ( Sept.
23) is a bit like fact-checking a Donald Trump speech. co in 20 Re: Oct.7.
Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, the subsequent Israeli response on Gaza has resulted in the destruction of much of the infrastructure, the killing of over 40,000 people, the permanent maiming of an unknown number and the displacement of the majority of the population, many of them children. Thanks to the actions of Hezbollah, the people of Lebanon are suffering a similar fate. The war may spread.
Against this background, the article on tireless peace activist Vivian Silver should have been on the front page, rather than limited to a narrow column on page A3. Her son, Yonatan Zeigen, could have preached hatred and an “eye for an eye” philosophy. Instead, he has repeatedly spoken out for peace.
In his mother’s honour, he asks Winnipeggers to jointly call for an end to the conflict and hold one rally for peace. It is not too late to do so. Re: , Oct.
7. Debra McCormick is to be congratulated for her letter in which she writes, “It’s keys. Not a gun or knife.
There is no way that an individual, even if they thought the other person was intoxicated, has a right to withhold their basic property.” It’s a rare treat to encounter such a succinct and yet vehement affirmation of the value of property over that of life. In response to the recent opinion piece by Danae Tonge, ( , Oct.
3) and the subsequent letter to the editor from Laura Potts ( , Oct. 7), in which they decry the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba sponsorship of the Manitoba Children’s Museum, I felt compelled to share my experience. After several uneventful decades of consuming milk and ice cream (the latter being a particular weakness for me), I decided to open my mind to the modern trends, with many extolling the virtues of choosing plant-based alternatives instead.
I found coconut milk to be a palatable substitute. Unfortunately, only after a few months of making the switch, I had to dispose of a few litres of this product in my fridge, with the listeria recall that was issued in July of this year. I confess, I switched back to conventional dairy, which has proven safe and reliable to me for so many years.
That’s not to say that I won’t be open to the alternatives again, once I am assured of their safety and reliability. In the meantime, I am just happy to see that there are dollars and resources going into the Children’s Museum, so that one day, perhaps my children’s children can also enjoy what a wonderful facility it is. Advertisement Advertisement.
