Cameron Baughen loves compost.
Baughen is the solid waste management coordinator at the Regional District of the South Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS), and he recently presented his case for at-home composting to a full-house in the auditorium at the Penticton Library.
Baughen admits that finding a site to host a proper residential and commercial composting facility in the south Okanagan is a difficult task. He also knows of the many problems that compost facilities can create — although he has been part of the long process of finding the right place for one in Penticton.
Until Penticton has a compost facility to call it’s own, Baughen will continue to campaign for the next best thing: composting at home.
READ MORE: Campbell Mountain organic composting site one step closer to reality
In addition to being an excellent source of nourishment for crops, composting also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. When compostable material ends up in the landfill it produces a large and unnecessary amount of methane gas.
To Baughen, composting is something we should all be doing. This is why he’s encouraging people to compost at home, something he says not enough people are doing.
There are many reasons why people don’t compost at home, like a lack of space or what Baughen calls the “ick” factor, but Baughen says the process is not nearly as arduous as people think. It’s just a matter of doing it right.
He explained that people have been composting on their own for centuries but have stopped in recent years.
“People have kind of lost basic skills,” said Baughen.
In an effort to re-instill some of those skills, Baughen has been educating the public on how to simply and effectively compost at home.
In his presentation at the library, Baughen explained just how easy composting at home can be. He offered these five steps:
- Use wire mesh to keep out rodents
- Add an abundance of leaves to your compost
- Place fruits and vegetables under leaves
- Poke the pile with a stick to allow air to flow through it
- Water your compost pile
Baughen also mentioned meat products can be harder to manage because of the smell. Other things that should not be composted include bones, greasy foods and oils, grain products, cooked food, and pet feces.
For Baughen’s full tutorial on how to successfully compost at home, watch the video below:
READ MORE: Campbell Mountain compost operation approaching threshold
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