Nashville is starting a pilot program for composting. Right now, they pick up trash weekly and recycling biweekly and they are doing a trial with 750 people to see how composting goes. This would be another free service like trash and recycle pick up.
Currently you can compost as you like and there are drop off spot and that’s free or you can pay for someone to come and pick it up. That’s around $29 per month. Not bad though I don’t know where I’d keep a composting bucket outside that the dogs couldn’t get to.
Okay...maybe my dogs couldn’t get in there.
A couple of things struck me as I listened to this show about the new compost program on one of our public radio stations. First, I thought that I’m sure they already have their 750 people, no need for me to apply. Then I heard that it was a good idea to apply because it shows TPTB how many folks are interested in the program.
Next, I heard a list of what all could be composted. I don’t really have a lot of leftovers or rotten food to throw away, my dogs eat leftovers and before food goes bad, I parboil it and freeze it to go in the homemade dog food I make. But then they read a list of what can be composted.
Food scraps
- Fruits, vegetables, spices, and herbs
- Coffee grounds, filters, and tea bags
- Dairy products and egg shells
- Meat, shellfish, fish, bones, and shells
- Pasta, breads, cereals, baked goods, snack foods, and candy
- Leftovers
Paper products
- Soiled napkins, paper towels, cardboard rolls, cotton balls
- Paper plates and cups (including cups from coffee, soda)
- Soiled pizza boxes and paper take-out containers
- Paper egg cartons, liners and other paper food packaging
Other materials
- Cut flowers and household plants
- Dryer lint
- Hair and nail clippings
- Pet food and pet hair
- www.nashville.gov/...
Pet hair?!? Oh, I’ve got pet hair, and paper towels, cardboard rolls, banana peels and dryer lint! In the winter I’ll have tea bags. So, I signed up to be one of the 750 trial composters. I don’t know when they’ll let people know.
The other thing I was being dumb about was what happens to my trash including compostable trash when it hits the dump. I use trash bags that are compostable, so I thought I was helping out and the stuff I was sending to the landfill would create great dirt. Duh!
Approximately 32% of the waste that Nashville residents create each year is food and yard waste that could be composted. Composting is nature's way of recycling food and yard waste. It is a process that naturally occurs when anything that was once alive is returned to the soil through decomposition. This process returns valuable nutrients back to the soil to help new plants grow. When food and yard waste is sent to landfill, it not only takes up space, but also creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. www.nashville.gov/...
If I don’t get picked for the trial, I may just start composting anyway. What about you? Does your city compost?
