GBA Update Summer 2024

COTTAGING

By Liz Phillips, GBA President

Waste Not, Rot Not: Managing Food Waste at the Cottage

M anaging garbage at our out-of-the way cottages is one of those ongoing issues that we all struggle with in one way or another. Our island has a complex system that has evolved over the years. Paper and cardboard are kept aside for the fire—the teetering pile builds up through the heat of July and August, waiting for a cool, late summer morning when we can finally light the wood stove. Other recycling waste is rinsed well and kept in clear bags to be sent back to the city with an unsuspecting visitor. (Maybe one of these years, we will learn the recycling rules of our local municipality!) The remaining garbage is hauled off the island on a day when the dump is open, hopefully in conjunction with a fun excursion.

For this reason, it’s important to be cautious about how you use the byproducts of these appliances. The manufacturers suggest that the dehydrated material can be added directly to the garden, but independent research shows that this could harm plants. Not to mention that most reviews mention some residual odour that could attract animals. So, what should you do with the output of your countertop food

recycler? Using small amounts in your garden might be OK, but it’s likely a good idea to start slowly and see what happens. Even still, you will probably have more than your garden needs. What you really need to do is find a way to ensure the dehydrated waste undergoes true composting. If you have access to municipal composting (either in your cottage municipality or at your primary residence), you could save up your summer dehydrated food waste and add it to the municipal compost collection when you get a chance. The good news is that since these countertop systems reduce food waste volume by 70-90 per cent and the resulting product is mostly odourless, storing your waste for a few weeks or months is a realistic option. No more heavy, stinky, drippy plastic bins to haul around. Of course, the material could also be added to a home compost pile or vermicompost system. But if you are already composting at your Georgian Bay property, then a countertop food recycler might not be helpful. Whatever you do, don’t dispose of the dehydrated food waste in your garbage headed to landfill . When this product hits the landfill, it will break down through anaerobic processes that release methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. While countertop food waste dehydrators might not be the silver bullet that solves all our cottage waste woes, they might be beneficial if you don’t want to set up a compost pile at your cottage property. However, you will still need to find a way to ensure the resulting product can be fully composted.

But food waste has always been the real challenge. Until a few years ago, we stored anything compostable in small plastic garbage bins with tight lids. We would then transport them back to the city and pour their stinking, dripping contents into the municipal compost bin at our house. Finally fed up with this disgusting process, we created a compost pile beside the cottage. But we could be better about mixing in the requisite leaves and mulch and whatever else we are supposed to use to ensure proper aerobic decomposition. Mostly, we provide tasty treats for the raccoons and risk attracting bears. Naturally, the GBA editorial staff were curious about the new countertop appliances that have recently become available to manage food waste – could these small appliances once and for all eliminate a source of frustration for us and many other GBA members? This is particularly interesting given that the Township of Georgian Bay has been offering discounts on the FoodCycler brand, with the objective of diverting organic waste from landfill. We thought it would be helpful for our members to understand a little more about these machines before they make an investment. Countertop “Composters” We have put the word “composters” in quotation marks because it’s important to understand that these appliances don’t actually compost food waste. What they can do is grind and dehydrate the waste, which greatly reduces the volume and smell emitted, but they can’t facilitate any microbial decomposition. True composting takes time, and unfortunately, there are no shortcuts—microbes take the time they take.

www.georgianbay.ca

GBA UPDATE Summer 2024

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