In the third year of diverting organic waste from the IPE, Spa Hills Compost, along with help from volunteers from Silver Star Elementary students and parents, managed to keep a whopping 10,251 lbs or 4650 kgs of organic waste out of local landfills.
The IPE has been working with Spa Hills over the past few years to reduce waste at the Fair, a project that garnered them an Innovation Award last year from the Canadian Association of Fairs & Exhibitions.
In 2015, 567 kgs (1250 lbs) of organics was diverted, in 2016 that number went up to 3134 kgs (6910 lbs). The IPE set a goal of 10,000 lbs this year, and although the conditions were extremely hot and smoky, Yvonne Paulson, IPE’s new general manager, says the students prevailed under the guidance of Keli Westgate, who developed the plan with Paulson’s strong support.
“With the fires we saw this year, composting has become even more important as compost helps soil retain water and adds valuable nutrients to improve the quality of the soil,” said Westgate.
“That’s critical in our dry area and it is part of the food security of our region.”
For more information contact Keli Westgate at Spa Hills Compost or email at keli@spahillscompost.ca.