Want to Compost Your Food Scraps in the City of College Park?
The City of College Park, Maryland launched its free curbside composting programs for residents in 2023, and now has nearly 500 homes participating in the program! Residents who sign up receive a bin from the City, and can leave their food scraps out at the curb each week to be collected. In the first nine months of the program, City residents diverted 60,000+ pounds of food scraps. More space is available in the program, join us!
How does it work?
Instead of sending waste to local landfills, residents can place items such as fruit scraps, vegetable scraps, meat and bones in a dedicated bin for food waste collection. A 12-gallon wheeled bin with attached latch lid or a 5-gallon bucket with lid must be purchased through the City. No personal containers allowed. Compost Crew to pick up on a weekly basis.
“We have been pleased to see this partnership increase the amount of food waste that is being diverted from the landfill.” -Robert E. Marsilli Jr., Director of Public Works for the City of College Park
Food waste decomposing in landfills is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Participation in the program helps College Park reduce waste going to local landfills!
Who is eligible?
The program is open to anyone that is receiving trash and recycling services from the City. You must be able to place your bin at your curb for collection by the Compost Crew.
“Compost Crew made it easy for the City of College Park to launch a curbside food scrap collection program.”
Robert E. Marsilli Jr., Director of Public Works for the City of College Park
Collect
Similar to a recycling service, we collect food waste and other organic material from the local community to be composted and reused. We collect from both residential and commercial customers.
Compost
Nearly 40% of our solid waste may be composted! We use cutting edge technology and techniques to compost everything from meat and dairy products to grains and oily foods, soiled napkins, and more.
Cultivate
Finished compost can be used in the garden in your backyard to the crops on our local farms. It provides a slow release of nutrients and provides a strong and fertile foundation for plants to flourish.
FAQ
What is composting?
Composting is the natural aerobic (with oxygen) decomposition of organic matter into nutrient rich soil. We collect food scraps from your home or business weekly and get them into the composting process and out of the landfill. Why compost?
- Composting diverts our food scraps from landfills and incinerators.
- Our landfills are filling up, leading to longer and longer hauling distances, higher greenhouse gas emissions, higher waste management costs, and less space available for our trash. Food waste constitutes 22% of discarded municipal solid waste in America.
- When food scraps are left in a landfill or incinerated they release methane, a greenhouse gas that is 80 times as potent as CO₂.
- Composting is a sustainable alternative that puts the nutrients from our food scraps back into the earth and, eventually, our food system by using the finished compost as a fertilizer for local farms.
- Composting is the final step to completing a truly sustainable food
What can I compost with Compost Crew?
In short, you can compost all types of food — yes, including meat and dairy — and soiled paper products. Take a peek at our graphic list below and download!
For a comprehensive list, click here. We also have a translated the list into Spanish.