How are meat, bones and fish composted?
Halton Region sends its GreenCart material to Hamilton’s Central Composting Facility. Organic material is sent through a giant shredder. Larger items, such as bones, are cut into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces break down quicker than larger ones. The shredded organic material goes into an indoor tunnel. Because the facility controls heat, moisture and oxygen, the composting (decomposition) process is much quicker than a backyard composter. Bacteria is naturally destroyed by the heat. After the tunnel, all the compost material is sent through a large screening machine. Remaining larger items, called “overs,” are taken out and put back into the process. Some items, depending on size, may need to processed two or three times to break down fully. The final step is the outdoor composting piles. The compost piles sit outside for another few weeks where the composting process continues. This creates our final, high quality compost.
