Compost & Yard Waste

What is compost?

Compost is the end product of decomposed organic matter, like food waste, yard waste and/or municipal wastewater. By composting, we can decrease the amount of material that ends up in our landfill and create a nutrient-rich resource to benefit our gardens, lawns, shrubbery, and flower beds. Composting has the added benefits of helping to reduce waste and combat climate change, helping with erosion control and moisture retention, and being an endlessly renewable resource.

How can I compost?

The City of Kamloops has three free yard waste drop-off sites that service both residential and commercial customers. Accepted items include:

grass clippings
leaves
fallen fruit
pumpkins
garden waste **
Christmas trees
tree prunings up to 24" diameter

** Noxious weeds or invasive species should be bagged and placed in your garbage container or taken to the landfill for proper disposal.

Material from the all of the City's yard waste sites—approximately 11,000 tonnes each year—ends up at the Cinnamon Ridge Compost Facility and Yard Waste Site, where it is composted for 8-12 months via open-air windrow.

Cinnamon Ridge compost is available for purchase by the public. The fees are $25 per loaded tractor bucket (approx 500 kg) loaded by site operator, or $5 per small container (e.g. Rubbermaid tote) loaded by the customer. Please note that this material is a soil amendment that is intended to be mixed with soil prior to application.

Can I compost food scraps?

Following a one-year pilot program, in August 2023 the City implemented a community-wide curbside residential organic waste collection for all single- and multi-family households in the City of Kamloops. Learn more about residential organics.

Currently there is no community drop-off site for organics. In the future, after organics collection is established for curbside customers, the City hopes to investigate options for eventually implementing multi-family and commercial organics collection programs.

What about backyard composting?

Composting at home has many benefits such as:

Reduces household solid waste (30-50%)
Reduces odours from garbage
Improves soil texture and fertility
Improves water retention and drainage in soil
Suppresses weeds
Increases plant health
It's environmentally friendly

The Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) has several resources available for residents wishing to undertake composting at home. The City also runs workshops on how to compost through the Activity Guide.

If you choose to do your own composting, be sure to follow our Bear Smart tips.

- Fruits and vegetables
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Rinsed egg shells
- Wood chips
- Newspaper
- Lint from dryer
- Grass, leaves and yard waste
The following can attract pests like rodents and flies and can cause odour problems:
- Meat and bones
- Dairy products
- Fats and oils
- Cooked foods
- Pet waste (could contain parasites and viruses harmful to humans)
- Organic Matter:
  Browns - carbon (eg. newspaper and yard waste)
  Greens - nitrogen (eg. fruits and vegetables)
- Moisture: Should feel like a wrung out sponge
- Oxygen: To prevent unpleasant odours, turn regularly
1. Purchase or build a compost bin.
2. Choose a convenient place for your composter with good drainage and some sun.
3. Place kitchen waste in the bin, alternating layers with brown material.
4. Keep in mind the proportions of green to brown material. For every bucket of green, add one to two buckets of brown material.
5. Turn your compost every week or two. Turning will help bury new materials, add air to the compost, and help speed up the composting.
- Insects: Sometimes compost attracts flies. This usually occurs when kitchen scraps are left on top of the heap. This can be remedied by burying food in the pile or by turning the pile each time you add waste and adding a layer of soil on top of the heap.
- Odours: A well aerated compost pile should not smell. However, if occasional odours occur, you can add a layer of soil, aerate the pile by turning it approximately every three days, or add brown dried-out material to balance the green material.
- Wet Compost Pile: A soggy compost pile often occurs in the spring. You can avoid this by leaving the lid off the composter and turning the pile daily. Also try adding only brown material until it begins to dry up.
- Dry Compost Pile: A dry compost pile usually occurs because there is too much brown material. The pile can be made moist by adding more kitchen scraps or by simply adding small amounts of water to the pile.

How does the City use compost?

The City uses compost as top dressing on City fields, as an additive to soil around flower beds and shrubs, and as an enhancement to restoration material on project sites. The City's compost comes from both Cinnamon Ridge and the Ingerbelle Compost Facility in Princeton.

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