Master Composter Recycler (MCR) is a free five-week online education program offered yearly. This is an online course with four education sessions and in person facility tours. Participants will become more knowledgeable about how waste is managed in the Halifax Region from collection to processing, and learn how to reduce waste through backyard composting and other at-home solutions.
The MCR program is open to all Halifax Regional Municipality residents interested in becoming waste champions within their families, communities, and work places. MCR has been offered in Halifax since May 2019 but has been a popular and long-standing program in other municipalities in Canada and the United States.
The next MCR session will be offered in October of 2024. Classes will take place virtually (MS Teams) on Wednesday evenings from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. An in person facility tour will take place on Saturday October 19th 2024. Anyone interested in registering for the course can email wasteless@halifax.ca for more information. Confirmation of registration will be sent out at the end of September.
Class Details:
- Class 1
The introductory session will provide a course overview, addressing the importance of proper waste management and waste reduction. The session will also include an interactive "What Goes Where" presentation about proper waste sorting at home and at work, addressing questions of compostable vs biodegradable, and recyclable plastic items vs garbage.
- Class 2
Topics of waste diversion and waste reduction will be discussed in greater detail during the second session. Information will be provided about product stewardship programs in Nova Scotia and beyond the blue-bag recycling options in HRM. We will share tips and strategies for reducing plastic and food waste.
- Class 3
This class will be in person. Participants will get to tour the waste management facilities and learn about the history of each location.
- The Otter Lake Waste Management Facility (Landfill)
- The Material Recovery Facility Facility in Bayer's Lake (Recycling Facility)
- The Organics Processing Facility in Goodwood (Compost Facility)
- Class 4
This session will focus on how to turn food scraps into a valuable resource! The session will start with in-depth information about the science of composting and how to build and maintain a compost pile at home. The session will also include instructions on how to vermicompost (composting with worms) and participants will have the chance to win a vermicomposter (worms included). We will wrap up with information on how to use finished compost and some additional WasteLess Gardening Tips.
- Class 5
The final session will provide a review of all course topics and a discussion of the various connections that participants identify. Following the closing discussion, each participant will receive a Master Composter Recycler certificate of completion.