October 2015

What Belongs in the Your Yard Cart is as Important as What Does Not

By: Karen Dawson, Director of Community Relations, Cedar Grove

King County residents can compost yard waste and food scraps in their curbside yard carts. The materials in the cart are taken to Cedar Grove in Maple Valley where they are made into nutrient rich compost for our gardens. It’s a great environmental benefit to take food out of the garbage and put it in the yard cart, where it can be used as a resource to make compost.

Items that can be diverted from the landfill by placing them in your yard waste cart include:

• Yard trimmings
• Food scraps
• Greasy pizza delivery boxes
• Food-soiled paper towels and napkins

But what you keep out of your food and yard waste bin is just as important as what you put in.

A few items that should NOT go in your yard cart include:

• Fruit stickers – please remove those pesky stickers before placing them in cart; they’re plastic and don’t break down!
• Plastic bags – just because a bag is green and found in the produce section, doesn’t mean it’s compostable! If it’s plastic, it can be reused or recycled at your local grocery store.
• Milk/juice cartons – These items are typically lined with plastic and, once rinsed, are usually accepted in your recycling cart.
• Pet waste – Despite the temptation to use compostable bags for pet waste and place them in the compost cart, please don’t!

Fall is the perfect time to apply compost to lawns for planting or reseeding, to flower beds as soil amendment and to prepare yards for winter. Thank you for doing your part to keep our compost stream clean! To find out more about what’s compostable and what’s not, please visit: recyclefood.com.

Damaged clothes aren’t garbage. Give ALL your clothes, shoes and linens for recycling.

Do you have stained shirts, ripped jeans or socks that are missing their pair? These items, along with the lightly used clothing traditionally accepted, can now be donated for reuse. Find a Threadcycle partner near you and start turning your items into something new today.

Food: Too Good To Waste Highlight:
School Lunch Tip

School is back in full swing and schedules are busier than ever so here are a few tips to help you continue curbing your food waste by packing waste free lunches:

• Free up your morning routine. Try packing lunches the night before, considering kid favorite dinner leftovers, and keeping them in the refrigerator overnight.
• Cut up fruits and vegetables to cut back on waste. Pack cut-up fruits and vegetables in a reusable container so your child can take a few bites and save the rest for later.
• Get the kids involved! They know what they like and will be more likely to eat and drink what they’ve helped prepare
• Don’t forget the packaging. Try to avoid single-serving food and drinking packaging. These items might get half consumed and tossed out which also contribute to food waste.

Announcements:

Ever wondered the best place to store your avocados? Tomatoes? Find out with the newly designed Food: Too Good to Waste Fruit and Vegetable Storage Guide. Download it now to help you keep your produce fresher longer!

Covington and King County’s fall recycling collection event will be happening October 3, 9am-3pm, at Kentwood High School. For a full list of all items accepted during this event, see the Recycling Collection Event and Compost Bin Sale flyer.

Solar and energy conservation tips and rebates will be presented by Puget Sound Energy on Thursday, November 12, 6-8pm, at the City Hall Council Chambers in Federal Way. For the address and additional details, see the City’s Green Living Workshop website.

Compost More. Waste Less. The New Pledgers Survival Guide to Composting

1. Collect your food scraps in a container with a 100 percent compostable bag and tight-fitting lid.
2. Empty the food scrap container into your yard waste bin often, and rinse or sprinkle with baking soda after to prevent odors. Some people find storing scraps in the freezer is also way to keep odors at bay.
3. In your yard waste bin, place newspaper, shredded paper and/or yard waste below and between your food scraps to keep the bin clean.