General Information
Q:
What is the Organics Recycling Pilot Program?
A: The Organic Recycling Pilot Program collects food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings to be recycled into compost instead of going into the garbage. Residents collect their food scraps and food soiled paper items in kitchen pails provided by the City and transfer them to their green cart for weekly collection. Residents also place their yard trimmings in the green cart.
Q:
Why is the city starting this program?
A: The Organics Recycling Pilot Program is being implemented in support of the City’s 10-Year Recycling and Resource Recovery Plan goals, one of which is to increase the city’s recycling rate to 60% by the year 2020.
Q: How do I know if I was selected to receive a green cart?
A: If you were selected to be part of the progam's pilot phase, you received information about the new green cart in the mail and will receive a green cart. Green cart delivery to residents will begin in September.
Definitions
Q:
What are organics?
A: Organics are anything derived from animals or plants such as your yard trimmings, uneaten food scraps, food scraps that remain from preparing and cooking a meal, food from your refrigerator that has spoiled, used paper napkins, and used paper cups and plates.
Q:
What is compost?
A: Compost is produced when organics (yard trimmings, food scraps, and food-soiled paper) decompose to form a nutrient-rich, dark, earth-smelling material that can be used to enrich soil, conserve water, provide erosion control, and grow healthier plants and crops. Compost is a valuable product used in lawns and gardens.
Collection and Green Cart Accepted Materials
Q:
When will my green cart be collected?
A: Your green cart will be collected on the same day your
brown cart is collected. Set out your green cart
on the curb along with your brown cart. Please allow approximately
3 feet of space between your brown and green cart. You can also identify your collection day
by using the
Collection Day Finder System.
Q:
What goes in the green cart?
A: All food products such as uneaten food scraps from cooking and preparation, leftovers, spoiled food from the refrigerator, dirty paper napkins, used paper cups and plates, and yard trimmings. View a complete list of all materials to place in your green cart:
Green Cart Accepted Materials.
Q:
What does NOT go in the green cart?
A: See list provided online: Not Accepted Green Cart Materials. Make sure to only put organic materials in the green cart and continue to put your recyclables in the blue cart.
Q:
If I have no yard waste, can I place only food scraps and food-soiled paper in the green cart?
A: Yes. Also, please make sure you place your green cart at the curb for collection every week even if your green cart is not too full. Weekly collection of your food scraps will help minimize potential odors.
Q:
If I do not want to recycle food scraps, can I only place yard trimmings in the green cart?
A: Yes. But if you are concerned that placing food scraps and food-soiled paper in your green cart may elicit bad smells or may be too messy, wrap your food scraps in used paper to help absorb some of the fluids from the food and help contain odors.
Q:
How do I collect food scraps and food-soiled paper?
A: You can dispose of your food scraps or food-soiled paper by putting them directly into the green cart or you and your family can collect them in your kitchen in a kitchen container that has a tightly fitting lid, such as an ice-cream bucket, a Tupperware container, a metal coffee can, or a composting kitchen container purchased from a local retailer. To help keep your kitchen container clean, line your kitchen container with old newspaper, a fast food paper bag, or paper towels to help absorb moisture or liquids from organics. Using a kitchen container to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper throughout the day will save you various trips to the green cart. At the end of the day, empty the contents of your kitchen container in your green cart.
Q:
Can I use a plastic, biodegradable, or compostable bag with my kitchen container or green cart?
A: No. Do not use plastic, biodegradable, or compostable bags to line your kitchen container and do not place them in your green cart. Plastic bags do not compost and are not allowed in the green cart. Use used newspaper, a paper bag, or paper towels to line your kitchen container to help absorb moisture from food scraps. When you are ready to empty the contents of your kitchen container into the green cart, you can empty both the food scraps and paper used as a liner into the green cart for composting.
Q:
What if the green cart is too big for me to roll to the curb?
A: The green carts are constructed and balanced so that most people can easily move a full cart to the curb. If you need to switch to a different size, the City offers a 48-gallon cart.
Q:
Can I place food scraps in compostable or biodegradable bags before going in the green cart?
A: No. please don’t place your food scraps in compostable or biodegradable bags. Also, please do not place compostable or biodegradable bags in the green cart.
Q:
Can I place my food scraps in plastic bags and put them in the green cart?
A: No. Plastic bags are not allowed in the green cart or the blue cart. Several local retailers recycle plastic bags. Please take them to your local retailer. Plastic bag recycling containers are usually found at the front of stores. Check for local plastic bag recycling locations.
Benefits of Recycling Organics
Q:
Why is it important to recycle yard trimmings, food scraps, and food-soiled paper?
A: Yard trimmings, food scraps, and food-soiled paper are the largest unrecycled portion of the residential waste stream, making up over 35 percent of what residents throw away. When organics are placed in the green cart they are collected and taken to an organics processing facility where materials are processed into compost. Additionally, by placing organics in the green cart instead of throwing them away in the brown cart, residents are able to help save landfill space, improve environmental quality, and create valuable compost.
Q:
How does recycling organic material help reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
A: Food scrap recycling reduces greenhouse gases (GHGs) by removing organics from the landfill and through the use of compost made from food scraps. Food scraps emit methane, a greenhouse gas, more than any other material in the landfill. Keeping food scraps out of the landfill reduces the amount of methane produced. Methane is 23 times more potent than Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The use of compost improves soil quality, increases crop yield, and reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides, which are extremely energy intensive to make and transport. Transporting water for agriculture is energy intensive; compost use helps soil retain water and reduces water consumption.
Composting
Concerns and Questions
A: Yes. But if you are concerned that placing food scraps and food-soiled paper in your green cart may elicit bad smells or may be too messy, wrap your food scraps in used paper to help absorb some of the fluids from the food and help contain odors.
Q:
What if my green cart smells bad after putting kitchen scraps in it?
A: There are many things you can do to help contain odors: (1) keep the lid closed when not in use; (2) set your green cart out for collection everytime, even when it is not full; (3) wrap strong smelling food in used newspaper or used paper towels; (4) rinse out your green cart (do not pour dirty water down a storm drain); (5) sprinkle baking soda in cart and over food scraps in cart; (6) keep the green cart in the shade during hot and sunny summer months; (7) rub vinegar on the lid to help repel flies.
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