Aylmer’s Jardin Collectif North is making their own compost from local business waste 

Sophie Demers

Since 2019, Aylmer’s Jardin Collectif North has been making their own compost through their Pédale au Compost initiative.

Through this initiative, members of the collective garden partner with local businesses to collect their green waste. Volunteers ride their bicycles with specially designed wagons to collect the buckets of green waste from the businesses and bring them back to the garden where it is turned into compost.

There are currently five local businesses participating in the initiative, Café Mulligan, Les Cafés Aroma Select, Marché Laflamme, Beurre Salé, and Sérénithé. According to Emmanuelle Tremblay, a member of the collective responsible for organizing this initiative, they have a team of five volunteer cyclists who regularly travel across town to pick up the green waste.

Pédale au Compost aims to promote cycling, self-sufficiency, local food production, green waste management, and community service.

With the season coming to a close, the members are already eagerly discussing plans for next year. “We are always looking for volunteers who can help us with Pédale au Compost,” said Tremblay. “We also invite anyone interested to work in the garden. We always have room.”

Tremblay explained that their committee discusses what to plant and every member participates in maintaining the garden by taking on a time slot every week. Whatever is produced is shared among the members. 

Jardin Collectif North is a community garden located at 180 rue North. For more information, visit https://jardinnorth.org/. Anyone interested in learning more or potentially becoming a member is invited to attend the end of season picnic that will take place in the garden starting at 11:30 am on September 28.