Compostin'


As a materials recovery facility, we were/are passionate about composting and the potential for growth in that area. So passionate in fact that a few years ago we worked with a few local communities and companies to try and get a successful composting program underway. Despite a good deal of effort, there were a few reasons we could not get the program off the ground during the pilot process. Steps taken by Baltimore's Food Waste Pilot Program, as quoted in the article, would assist with many of them. 

1. Unfortunately, due to being located in a semi-rural area, we could not get the saturation we needed to make the collection/transportation affordable. Having one collection point that the businesses, institutions, and community can pool their material makes participation possible. 

2. The second and repeated issue with recycling and waste reduction programs; we had severe issues with contamination among the facilities that did agree to participate. If you send contaminated compost to a farmer to field apply you are littering his fields and providing a negative impact instead of the positive aim. Having a person monitor and "police" one bin would assist in limiting the number of contaminants that would be in the supply. Many times at a business or institution the employees who are clearing tables or emptying trays may be focused on another job and miss contaminants. 

3. The seasonal weather where we are located creates the worst of both "world" challenges for collection sites, although one of the reasons many Pennsylvanias are located where they are. These weather challenges were especially true of smaller generators that needed to space out pickups due to smaller quantities. In the summer heat, the material would smell terrible and draw flies and fear of rodents (which has a negative impact on food-related businesses) in the winter the material would freeze solid and be almost impossible to get out of the containers. A climate-controlled area or at a minimum a setup that would allow a focus to downplay the extremes of temperatures in one specified area would make servicing and stockpiling easier and less of a nuisance. 

Based upon the reasons above we could not offer these programs to residents and needed to pilot based solely on the participation of industry and institutions. Composting is a wonderful, environmentally friendly way to reduce waste costs by eliminating the bulk of your trash density and use it for a positive impact. If a community composting program is not underway in your community, unfortunately, few have it at this time, do your best to start your own DIY composting initiative (and let your local officials know you have an interest)! 

https://enviropolitics.com/new-food-waste-pilot-program-wants-to-change-how-baltimoreans-think-about-composting/

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