The Pacific Northwest is a leader in environmental issues, and the Cedar Grove Composting facility north of Everett, which was featured in the Enterprise recently, is an example of an innovative program in this area.
Many local restaurants and grocery stores save money and help the environment by sending their food waste to Cedar Grove. Homes in this area now also have the opportunity to have their food waste collected by their local trash company along with their yard waste and sent to Cedar Grove.
My family recently decided to sign up for this food compost collection service. I worried that having compostable food in the kitchen would create odor, but I soon realized that this compostable food was the same food that had always been in the kitchen. I use a small plastic bucket lined with newspaper to collect food waste.
The bucket’s contents, including the soiled newspaper, go into a green yard waste cart along with yard waste for collection. Any additional yard waste goes into various allowable containers.
When my family started putting food scraps and trimmings into compost instead of trash, we found that the amount of garbage going into our regular trash container had shrunk to less than half the previous amount. We purchased a 20-gallon mini-can for non-compostable, non-recyclable trash. The charge for collecting this small can is comparatively low, so our total trash collection bill is reduced, and it is a good feeling to know we are not sending food waste to the landfill.
Like many new things, collection of compostables can be confusing. There are different rules from different trash companies regarding which items can be included. All local trash companies prohibit putting plastic, pet waste, metal and hazardous materials into the yard waste and compost container. There is also some confusion regarding availability of collection of compostables at condominiums and apartments. Call your local trash collection company or your city’s recycle coordinator for information on any of these topics.
Cedar Grove makes our compostables and yard waste into mulches, soil amendments, top soil and garden soil. These products are available at local stores, including Fred Meyer, Home Depot and True Value, and you can go to Cedar Grove’s facility and haul your own. Using these locally produced products is another way that is available in the Pacific Northwest to help the environment.
Carolyn Chapel is a member of Sustainable Edmonds.
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