The tub has landed at Canmore Collegiate High School.
As part of a small celebration during the week that included Earth Day, CCHS students unveiled their Earth Tub Composter on April 19 and introduced the idea that garbage is not always what it seems.
Installed on-site in November, the tub demonstrates the best possible waste management practices in the school’s commercial teaching kitchen by reducing the amount of garbage going to the landfill, and provides a teaching tool on sound environmental practices for other school programs.
The project is a collaborative effort between CCHS, the Bow Valley Waste Management Commission (BVWMC), the Town of Canmore and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD).
“Wendy Hibbard, the commercial foods teacher here at the school came to me and said she wanted her kitchen to be more sustainable,” Peter Duck, regional Zero Waste coordinator with BVWMC, said prior to a demonstration given by the students. “She knew that putting organic waste in the landfill was not necessarily the right thing to do, although it’s hard to find options in any given location.”
Challenges included finding an appropriate system to deal with the waste, having it be convenient and simple for students to use, and make sure to avoid attracting wildlife. As a result, the Earth Tub project was over two years in the making.
“Wendy wanted to get one of these Earth Tub composters, the commission was able to get a used one for a very good price, and then we started working with the Town of Canmore and Alberta Fish and Wildlife to make sure that if we went ahead with this it addressed all of their concerns,” Duck said of the process.
In time, a specially designed bear proof compound that met parameters set by SRD was erected behind the school, and food began to be added in January. Students in Grades 9-12 are now responsible for the composting process on site.
As part of the program, students are required to weigh and record the mass of the compostable material gathered from the cafeteria and kitchen and take and record the temperature of the compost tub, as well as the outside air temperature. As well, students deposit collected material, along with wood chips and sawdust, and turn the contents with an auger attached to the lid to stir the mixture. Notes on odours and water needs are also expected.
“There are three different classes that have been and will be rotating through the maintenance of the composter,” teacher Ken Symington said. “The foods students were caring for it for the month of February. The Grade 10 ASCENT class (Achievement, Service, Challenge, Environment, Narrative, Teamwork) cared for it in March and April, and Biology 20 and Green Club students will be caring for it in May and June.”
The compost produced will be used in the school greenhouse and on future landscaping projects, while vegetable-based cups, plates, and cutlery have been introduced. To further the idea of a closed system, wood chips and sawdust come from the woodshop.
Recycling at the school has also been stepped up and, as a result of the reduction in all waste streams, the amount of material going to the landfill has been cut by over a third from last year, according to Ken Riordon, facilities manager at CCHS. At approximately $106 a week, that represents a substantial savings in school operations.
Tested at Francis Cooke landfill for six months prior to final installation, the Earth Tub project was made possible by with the support of Canmore Rotary, Canmore Lion’s Club, Bank of Montreal, and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, and is the only commercial food waste composter in the valley.
