The city of Montreal, after a winter that, as usual, had us complaining more than we should have – during the long, dark afternoons of the coldest days, we despaired like Pre-Raphaelite figures that spring would never come.
Spring has arrived and we’ve forgotten our complaints, and now we can (finally!) get our hands in the dirt and watch the grass grow. When we say grass, we mean fine herbs, and tomatoes, and flowers – maybe chamomile to dry in August and drink as an infusion next winter?
On Earth Day 2025, the City of Montreal announced that it will help us green our thumbs this spring, with a large-scale free compost distribution on May 10 and 11.
100% Montreal compost
In Montreal, we compost: and it’s a little gross sometimes when you think about it, but sorting the organic matter from our girl dinners and walks with the dog (French bulldog for those who live on the plateau, husky for those who live in the South-West, poodles for the others) is important.
After composting all year long, we’re going to reap the benefits!
Montrealers’ compost is used mainly by local farmers and private individuals to enrich the city’s flowerbeds, vegetable patches and gardens. We’ll be able to use it for our plantations too – even those on our balconies, because there are no pots too small to be enriched with compost.
It reduces greenhouse emissions, it’s a natural fertilizer that doesn’t pollute, and it’s a good way of living in a spiral, in harmony with nature, from the local apple we bought at the market to the compost that will help our basil plant grow – how poetic!
Practical info
To take advantage of the free compost distribution on May 10 and 11, you’ll need to bring two things;
- proof of residence in Montreal
- a container (wheelbarrow, bag, glass jar for those with a rash) and a shovel to collect your compost, which will be presented in bulk.
Where? at the Complexe environnemental de Saint-Michel (CESM), 2235 rue Michel-Jurdant
and also in several Montreal boroughs, listed here!