The Bristol-South Bristol Transfer Station now accepts food scraps, which Lincoln County Recycling will later sell as compost. (Jessica Picard photo)
The Bristol-South Bristol Transfer Station now accepts food scraps for composting.
“It is something people have been asking about,” Manager David Poland said.
The station has a bin for the scraps across from the recycling building, although it could end up elsewhere long term.
According to Lincoln County Recycling, which manages the food scraps program, and to Poland, some foods should not go in the bin. These include meat, acidic foods like citrus fruits, liquids, dairy products except cheese, bones, and fatty, oily, or greasy foods.
Lincoln County Recycling will pick up the bin when it is full, Poland said. It sells the resulting compost for $25 a yard or $3 a bag.
Other local transfer stations that participate in the composting program are the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station, the Waldoboro Transfer Station, and the Wiscasset Transfer Station.
While the program will not make the transfer station money, it will save some money as less food scraps go into the trash. The transfer station pays to truck trash away and dispose of it.
“It will keep (the scraps) from going to the landfill,” Poland said.
