By Abigail W. Adams
Lincoln County Administrator John O’Connell, Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Specialist Mark King, and Lincoln County Recycling Center Compost Coordinator Ryan Kenyon (from left to right) at the Lincoln County Composting Committee meeting at Morris Farm in Wiscasset March 12. (Abigail Adams photo) |
The Lincoln County Recycling Center is gearing up to further reduce the county’s waste stream by transforming food scraps into nutrient-rich compost, also known as “black gold.” The food scrap composting program, which began approximately one year ago, is weighing options for expansion.
Those options include promoting backyard composting, providing support to area farmers to develop on-farm composting, and increasing the Lincoln County Recycling Center’s food scrap collection and composting activity.
Mark King, an environmental specialist in the Department of Environmental Protection’s Sustainability Division, explained each option in detail at the Lincoln County Composting Committee meeting March 12 and at the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting March 17.
Each option would be a victory for Lincoln County both economically and environmentally, King said.
King is providing technical assistance to the Lincoln County Recycling Center and the Lincoln County Composting Committee to take compost to a new level county-wide.
According to King, the expansion of composting will not only reduce the economic cost of processing waste, it will transform garbage into a valuable agricultural product and make sure “nutrients generated here, stay here,” King said.
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Through a natural process, organic material, such as food scraps, leaf, and yard waste, decomposes into nutrient-rich compost that energizes soil when added to it, increasing the health and vibrancy of gardens.
The Lincoln County Recycling Center has composted leaf and yard waste since the 1990s, said Ryan Kenyon, composting coordinator. The program has transformed grass clippings, leaves, and other yard material into a high-quality product that attracts buyers both near and far.
According to Kenyon, in 2014 alone, the Lincoln County Recycling Center transformed backyard waste into 140 yards of compost, sold at $25 per yard.
The sale of compost not only generated revenue for Lincoln County – it kept leaf and yard trimmings out of landfills. Leaf and yard trimmings make up approximately 14 percent of the waste stream, according to the Lincoln County Recycling Center.
Last year, the Lincoln County Recycling Center expanded its composting program to include food scraps, such as fruits and vegetables, eggs, coffee grounds, grains, pasta, and bread. The recycling center distributed approximately 27 5-gallon containers to willing participants to begin to collect and process food scraps into compost.
The Wiscasset transfer station also began to collect food scraps for the recycling center.
The pilot program collected over 2,000 pounds of material in approximately five months, creating, on average, 5 cubic yards of food scrap compost a month, Kenyon said. Through the combined efforts of King, the Lincoln County Recycling Center, and the Lincoln County Composting Committee, work is underway to expand composting activity into every area of Lincoln County.
Food scraps compose approximately 25 percent of residential waste, according to the Lincoln County Recycling Center. Transforming those food scraps into “black gold” to be used by area farms and backyard gardens will not only support local agriculture, King said, it will also reduce the amount taxpayers must pay to process waste.
According to Lincoln County Administrator John O’Connell, taxpayers are on the verge of seeing enormous increases in the cost of processing waste due to the projected closure of Juniper Ridge Landfill, a state-owned landfill on the verge of reaching maximum capacity, in 2020.
Simultaneously expanding the Lincoln County Recycling Center’s collection and processing of food scraps, promoting backyard composting, and encouraging farmers to pursue on-farm composting will enable Lincoln County to engage in a large-scale food scrap composting effort without overwhelming the recycling center or individual farms, King said.
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Protection allow farms with a compost management plan, a plan for handling organic material filed with the Department of Agriculture, to compost up to 60 yards of organic material without needing a Department of Environment Protection permit.
According to King, on-farm composting creates additional revenue for farms, however, few farms utilize the program and develop a compost management plan. He hopes to spread awareness of the program and work with Lincoln County farmers to promote on-farm composting.
The Lincoln County Recycling Center is also considering various options to increase the collection of food scraps. They are engaging in talks with area restaurants and transfer stations to increase the amount of food scrap compost created at the center.
King also hopes to provide technical assistance and support to individuals interested in backyard composting.
The multi-pronged effort to promote composting in Lincoln County will be a triumph both environmentally and economically, King said. “Anything that pulls organics out of the waste stream is a success,” King said.
For more information about composting in Lincoln County, contact the recycling center at 882-5276 or recycling@lincolncountymaine.me, or visit the center at 54 Huntoon Hill Rd. in Wiscasset.