Compost
Food Scraps
Multi-family residents can now divert their food scraps to produce compost for healthy soil. The Solid Waste Bureau has recently launched a pilot program to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper from bins located throughout Arlington. The bins work with the Bigbelly Smart Compost app and are located at National Landing (Crystal Dr. and 18th St. S), Glebe Rd. (2910 S. Glebe Rd), Aurora Highlands Library, Culpepper Gardens, Quincy Park (near Central Library), Rosslyn (Clarendon Blvd, and N. Pierce St.) and Arlington Mill Community Center. This program builds on existing curbside collection for single-family homes. Check here for more details on composting options in Arlington.
Keep in mind that while diverting food scraps for composting is an important way to manage this waste stream, actually reducing food waste is a key step individuals can take to shrink their carbon footprint and save money at the same time. At least one-third of food produced in the US is wasted, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and wasted water, land, and energy resources. Check out these tips from Arlington County on reducing food waste.
This content originally appeared in The EcoAdvocate newsletter produced by the EcoAction Arlington Advocacy Committee.
