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ABIGAIL WEST
rm% greensplainer
Think Before You Throw
ACC GAN COMPOST FOOD SCRAPS AND MORE
By Abigail West news@flagpole.com
The Athens-Clarke County Landfill hosts
one of only four commercial composting
facilities in Georgia. Last year, the com
posting operation at the landfill adopted a
new system that processes compost up to
twice as quickly as before. This, along with
recent policy changes, means commercial
composting is more accessible than ever
to both businesses and individuals.
In some cases, composting and
recycling will become the new
norm instead of landfilling.
Composting is the
natural process of break
ing down organic matter
into usable soil. With the
right balance of ingredients
and airflow, microorganisms will
happily feast away inside the compost
pile, generating a lot of heat. Compost staff
carefully monitor temperatures throughout
the process to ensure the ideal environment
for the helpful bacteria and fungi. The gen
erated compost is a valuable commodity
that can be used to improve soil.
According to Environmental Protection
Agency estimates, in 2017 food was the
No. 1 single source of waste in our nation’s
landfills. Many people still think that
they’re doing the right thing by using
biodegradable products, even when they
put them in the trash, says Mason Towe,
education specialist for the ACC Recycling
Division. In reality, quite the opposite is
true. When you throw something away, it
gets buried in a plastic-lined mountain (the
landfill) that has been designed to never
break down. When food and other organic
materials decompose in this compacted, air
less environment, they generate methane,
a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to
climate change.
The landfill has a system that collects
methane and burns it to generate electric
ity, but this doesn’t solve the problem of
wasted food, which is a topic that deserves
an article of its own. Considering one in
five Athens residents are food insecure—
meaning they have inconsistent access to
nutritious food—work remains to be done
reducing food waste long before it reaches
the landfill.
Even if we make sure that all of the
edible parts of our food get eaten, that still
leaves us with scraps—think banana peels,
eggshells and coffee grounds. Food scraps
make up just one aspect of a good compost
ing system. The ACC commercial compost
ing facility processes anything that used to
be alive, including leaf and limb debris,
dirty paper products, certified bio
degradable products and biosolids
from the water reclamation
facilities. If you are purchas
ing compost, which is for
sale by the cubic yard or
the bucket load, but feel
ing skittish about contami
nants, rest assured that each
batch of compost is thoroughly
tested and documented against strict
standards for pathogens and trace metals.
The EPA says biosolids (treated and sani
tized human waste) are safe, but for those
who feel uncomfortable, ACC offers a blend
without them as well.
Residents can drop off food scraps
and compostable products for free at
the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials
(CHaRM) at 1005 College Ave., the Solid
Waste Department office at 725 Hancock
Industrial Way or the landfill at 5700
Lexington Road. ACC also has a pilot com
mercial collection program, which will
soon transition into its public phase. Let
Us Compost, which
for seven years offered
Athens’ only commercial
food scraps collection,
closed in December. In a
Facebook post announc
ing its closure, founder
Kristen Baskin thanked
the community for turn
ing composting from
something unusual into
the new norm. Another
local business, Awesome
Possum Composting,
still offers curbside
collection.
In December,
the ACC Mayor and
Commission voted to
approve new legisla
tion that will require
large public events to be effectively zero
waste. These events—such as the Twilight
Criterium, AthFest, the Hot Corner Festival
and others held on public property with
more than one food vendor—will now be
required to use only recyclable and/or com
postable containers, with an exception for
pre-packaged foods like candy bars or chips.
The next time you’re at an event or one
of many local restaurants now switching to
compostables, pay attention to what kind
of container your food comes in. If it says
“compostable” or is made of paper—with
the exception of wax paper cups—be sure
it goes in the composting bin. If it is a recy
clable container, such as hard plastics Nos.
1-7, it must be washed first, then can be
placed in the recycling bin. The ACC website
has an updated list of recyclable items. ©
Staff at the Athens-Clarke County composting facility move steaming piles of
active compost.
WE REUSE, REDUCE,
AND RECYCLE
We strive to
reduce bag waste,
reuse boxes and beer
holders, and recycle
all recyclable products.
We use an electric
vehicle and energy
efficient roofing.
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Sustainable Industry Roundtable
February 20,2020 8:00 - 9:30 AM
W&A Engineering
355 Oneta Street, Suite D100
Athens, Georgia 30601
Please RSVP to recycle@accgov.com
For more info 706-613-3501 x 8
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Sustainable Industry Roundtable
May 21, 2020 8:00-9:30 AM
Community
260 N Jackson St
Athens, GA 30601
Please RSVP to recycle@accgov.com
For more info 706-613-3501 x 8
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FEBRUARY 5, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM 9