Is it OK to use the compost that is provided from the city (the stuff you pick up at the dump) for use in vegetable gardens? I'm just worried about contaminants, and was wondering if anybody else has used this compost for their veggie gardens. Thanks!
That is a REALLY good question. I have been waiting for some information along those lines. I queried Langley Township last year about the green waste programme. Specifically I wanted to know the criteria for temperature & duration of composting & if there were analyses of composition of the resulting product available. They referred me to Metro Vancouver, but I have never followed up. I have not used green waste compost (Sold locally as Neutral Mulch from "The Answer" in Aldergrove) or solid waste composted products (sewage derived) in my veggie garden. Mind you, I won't use animal manure from farms whose feeding & medication practises are unknown to me either. Is all this important considering the environment within which we live in the Lower Mainland? I don't know, but my veggies taste good! This would be a great student project for one of our local Universities.
Being an organic gardener I would never use this kind of compost since it has great potential for being contaminated with non-organic ingredients. I use only my own compost made of organic straw, my own kitchen waste, weeds, spent plants, sometimes leaves. I don't add grass clippings to the compost because I use them for mulching.