Compost

There are numerous reasons, but some of the most important:

1. Our landfills won’t fill up as fast
2. Composting turns food scraps into healthy soil that can be utilized in many ways 
3. Compost helps prevent plant diseases 
4. It reduces the need for fertilizers and chemicals
5. Conserves water 
6. (the big one) It reduces greenhouse gas emissions/prevents pollution that contributes to global warming/climate change. 

There will always be food scraps to discard (e.g., a banana peel). Composting is a great way to recycle those discards instead of tossing them in the trash. 

By diverting our food scraps from landfills, we are helping protect the environment of Highland Park by:

1. Redirecting wasted food to the Material Recovery Facility, where the materials are recycled into compost and used by farmers and gardeners to nourish the soil.
2. Reducing our impact on climate change, as solid waste landfills are the largest human-made source of methane gas in the United States and 23 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

After your food scraps and yard waste reach the Material Recovery Facility, they are composted through the natural process of recycling this organic matter into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. The resulting decomposed matter, which looks similar to fertile garden soil, is called compost and used for gardening, horticulture, and agriculture.

When you put your food waste into your regular garbage can, it gets taken to a landfill. Food is the most significant component of landfills at 24%! Plastic is a close second at 18%. 

Instead, you save those valuable materials from the landfill and give them a second life to support farmland when you compost. Compost reduces the need to use artificial, chemical-heavy fertilizers. Also, the economic benefits associated with compost for the farmer or home gardener involve reducing the need for water, fertilizer, and pesticides.

Eggshells, banana peels, apple cores, coffee grounds, tea bags, stale bread, carrot tops, citrus rinds, peach pits, beef gristle, onion skins, cherry stems, bell pepper stems and seeds, chicken bones, broccoli stalks, corn cobs, wilted lettuce, dirty pizza boxes, used paper napkins and kleenex, dead flowers, house plant clippings, fallen leaves, and trimmed branches—to name a few! Think of all the waste you can keep out of your trash and our landfills by filling your compost bin instead.

This service does NOT accept diapers, liquids, grease, pet waste, Styrofoam, or oil. Recyclable items (metal, plastics, newspaper, glass, etc.) should all still go in your recycling bin. Plastic bags are not allowed (only certified compostable bags are allowed).

When LRS services your curbside compost cart, the compostable materials are taken to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF). The curbside material is transformed into nutrient-rich, organic compost for farms and gardeners.

When it comes to odor, compost is just like trash: it only becomes a nuisance if left unattended for long periods. Curbside composting gets rid of the mess before decomposition, which causes the smell.

To prevent odors, you can store your discarded food materials in the freezer, regularly remove compost from the container in your home to the curbside bin, and occasionally clean your bin with baking soda. 

For easy clean-up, consider lining your curbside bin with paper towels or paper bags. You can also line your curbside bin with paper or yard waste. NO plastic bags are allowed (not even biodegradable ones).

All-in community-wide composting accepts both food scraps and yard waste—both go into the same bin. If you fill your bin and have leftover yard waste, you may place them with a sticker in a paper yard waste bag, personal small cart or tied bundle so long as it is under 50 lbs with nothing longer than 4 ft.

Current subscription organics customers who would like to continue to receive pickups of multiple bags, bundles, or personal carts when they would like without the need for stickers should remain subscribed to the program.

You can use this service for composting even if you do not need yard waste service. 

The bin doesn’t have to be packed to take it out to the curb. All-in community-wide composting will allow you to compost only as often as necessary.

Many local stores carry indoor containers to collect food scraps before taking them out to your curbside bin. They come in a variety of styles with different amenities, like charcoal filters. Many are designed to be attractive enough to sit on your counter. Others are designed to go under the kitchen sink. You can also re-purpose an old container to collect food scraps.