Food Scraps

What can be recycled?

Fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, and other food scraps, plus small amounts of soiled paper or cardboard

Why it wants to be recycled

Recycled food scraps are called compost, and they are a beneficial soil additive, providing nutrients while helping to retain soil moisture in arid climates. Also, composting food scraps keeps them out of landfills where they takes up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

How to recycle it

Food scraps can be composted right at home. Indoors, Vermicomposting uses red wiggler worms in a bin to contain the worms and the organic matter or In-Vessel Composting keeps organic material in a drum or similar container where the environment can be controlled. If you have a yard, food scraps can be added to a compost pile outdoors along with other organic waste.

Aerated Static Pile Composting is a large pile of organic waste mixed together with layers of wood chips or shredded newspapers added so air can pass through from the bottom to the top of the pile. Typically, the pile is turned frequently by hand (in a backyard setting) or air is mechanically blown or sucked through the pile.

What do recycled food scraps become?

Food scraps currently make up 14% of what ends up in landfills annually. By composting your food scraps, you can keep them out of landfills and allow them to enrich the soil.