Composting

COMPOSTING AT THE BARN (and more info for outside the Barn)

 At the Barn

✔ All food waste goes in our composting bin!
✔ If your food is from The Barn, all serving items can go in too!

🚫 Brought food from outside? Assume it CANNOT be composted here.
👉 Scrape your food into the compost bin & throw the container in the TRASH.

Beyond the Barn…

Understanding Organics and How to Manage Them

What Are Organics?

Organics refer to compostable materials that come from plants or animals, primarily including food scraps, yard waste, and certain paper products. These materials are naturally compostable and can break down into nutrient-rich soil when managed correctly. However, when improperly disposed of—such as being sent to a landfill—they create significant environmental challenges.

Why Organics Are a Problem in Landfills

When organic waste ends up in a landfill, it does not break down properly due to the lack of oxygen. Instead, it decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen), which produces methane gas—a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere. Additionally:

  • Organics contribute to leachate, a toxic liquid that can contaminate groundwater.

  • Valuable nutrients are lost instead of being returned to the soil.

  • Methane emissions from landfills are a major contributor to climate change.

By keeping organic materials out of landfills, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil health, and minimize waste management costs.

What You Can Do to Manage Organics

1. Reduce Your Food Waste

The best way to manage organic waste is to generate less of it in the first place. Here’s how:
✔ Plan your meals and buy only what you need.
✔ Store food properly to extend its shelf life.
✔ Use leftovers creatively to avoid waste.
✔ Track what you throw away and adjust shopping habits accordingly.
✔ Donate excess food to local food banks when possible.

2. Composting at Home: What You Can Do & Limitations

Home composting is a great way to manage fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, and yard waste. To start:
✔ Use a backyard compost bin or worm composting system (vermicomposting).
✔ Balance greens (food scraps) and browns (leaves, cardboard, paper, wood chips) for proper decomposition.
✔ Turn the pile regularly to provide oxygen and speed up the breakdown process.

However, home composting has limitations:
✘ Dairy, meat, bones, and oily foods cannot be composted at home as they attract pests and decompose poorly.
✘ Compostable plastics do not break down in backyard composting systems.
✘ Large quantities of food waste can overwhelm a home compost system.

3. Use a Local Composting Service Like Crown Town Compost

If backyard composting is not an option, consider curbside composting services like Crown Town Compost. They collect food waste and compost it at commercial-grade facilities that can handle materials not suitable for home composting.

Crown Town Compost accepts:
✔ Fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat, and bones
✔ Certified compostable packaging and paper products
✔ Coffee grounds, eggshells, and tea bags

This service helps ensure that all food waste is composted properly, even those items you cannot compost at home.

4. Food Recycling: The Mill’s Approach

For food waste that cannot be composted, there are alternative solutions like food recycling programs. The Mill in Charlotte processes food scraps into animal feed instead of sending them to landfills. This innovative approach:

  • Reduces methane emissions by diverting food waste.

  • Provides sustainable animal feed for local farms.

  • Supports a circular economy by repurposing food scraps.

Using services like The Mill is a great way to ensure that food waste is reused in a productive way rather than being wasted.

Composting Services & Contamination: Why It Matters

If you use a composting service, it is critical to understand what they can and cannot accept. Different facilities have different capabilities based on their processing methods.

💡 Key Reasons to Avoid Contamination:

  • Non-compostable materials slow down processing and can ruin entire batches of compost.

  • Some items labeled “compostable” (like bioplastics) may not break down in certain facilities.

  • Contamination leads to higher costs, as sorting out non-compostable waste is labor-intensive.

⚠ Contamination is Different for Each Service
What is considered contamination varies between services. For example:

  • A home compost bin cannot process meat and dairy, but a commercial composting facility can.

  • A compostable takeout container may break down at a commercial site but not in a home compost pile.

Before using a composting service, always check their accepted materials list to ensure you are composting correctly!

Conclusion: Take Action Today!

Managing organics properly reduces landfill waste, lowers emissions, and improves soil health. Whether you start by reducing food waste, composting at home, or using a collection service, every step helps. Choose the option that best fits your needs and keep organic waste out of the landfill!