Brome CompostComposting in the North:
Inukjuak is an Inuit community located on the coast of Hudson Bay in Northern Quebec, Canada. Life in Inukjuak is closely linked to traditional culture and the natural environment, with activities such as hunting, fishing and the arts. Local institutions and businesses, too, are strongly influenced by the Arctic landscape and its seasonal changes.
AN ALTERNATIVE TO LANDFILL IN NORTHERN QUEBEC
For many communities and groups in Northern Quebec, the management of organic residues is often limited to landfill and open-pit incineration – which brings with it ecological and economic challenges.
These challenges can be linked to geographical location, climatic conditions, equipment availability, transportation costs, etc. What’s more, sub-optimal landfill management can lead to problems such as crowding, the unwanted presence of animals, and pollution issues associated with burning.
For Inukjuak, it was time to do things differently! Composting is part of the solution to improving the overall management of residual materials in Nunavik, and particularly the management of northern landfill sites.
Thanks to collaboration with the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) and Éco-conseil Symbios, the Inukjuamiuq (the community’s residents) acquired their own composting system in the fall of 2023.
According to the feasibility study carried out by Éco-conseil Symbios, the composting site will be able to divert an estimated 2 tonnes of organic materials and 600 kg of cardboard per week from the landfill site, originating in the residential sector as well as businesses and institutions.
THE CHALLENGES OF HARSH WEATHER AND THE INNOVATIVE USE OF CONTAINERS
The composting system designed and built for the Inukjuak community is our first to be placed inside maritime containers!
Installing the composting system in insulated and heated containers improves :
- Worker conditions when outside temperatures plummet
- The environment for the composting process
At the same time, animal attraction is reduced or eliminated.
AN IMPORTANT LEARNING CURVE FOR FUTURE PROJECTS
Being the first composting project of this kind, there is of course a learning stage before optimal performance and a standardization of operations can be achieved. Among other things, the extreme northern climatic conditions represent a major environmental challenge for Brome Compost, the project’s managers and the system’s operators in Inukjuak. The first few months will help define optimal operating protocols for this project, and will facilitate the implementation of other composting systems in maritime containers.
AN OVERVIEW AND AN INSIDE VIEW
Inukjuak’s composting system is designed for maximum automation and minimum space requirements in order to reduce heating requirements.
This system diagram shows the layout of the equipment:
In order of use, the system consists of:
- A mixer for pre-treatment of the organic materials to be composted
- A conveyor that transports the pre-processed material to the composter
- A BROME 530 rotating composter, equipped with a hood and sifter, which transforms the organic residue into compost
The entire Brome Compost team is very proud to have brought this innovative solution for northern waste management needs to the community of Inukjuak!