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Are you looking for an alternative to throwing your banana peels, onion skins, and chicken bones in the garbage? Composting, or breaking down food waste into soil, might be the answer for you, but only if you have the space and time to do it. Luckily this Spring, Blue Earth Compost, a small locally owned business based in West Hartford, is expanding its food waste pick-up and compost delivery service to Middletown this Spring. They are offering their service to homeowners, apartment dwellers, and businesses.
The company gives its residential customers a 4 gallon closed lid pail that they fill with the scraps from cooking and leftovers. Once a week, Blue Earth comes by to pick up the pail and replace it with a new, clean pail. They then take these food scraps to Harvest New England in Ellington where they are turned into soil which the company delivers back to its customers three times per year.
According to Chris Nelson from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), 42% of disposed waste in CT is compostable, or organically biodegradable. Right now, all of this waste is burned in incinerators, but thanks to a ban passed by state legislature in 2011, large producers are being restricted from committing their food waste to the garbage.
CT DEEP, along with industry, is developing initiatives to make sure that these large producers have locations to send their food waste and community programs for small businesses and residences to participate.
Alex Williams, Owner and Director of Operations at Blue Earth Compost runs one of the businesses that sees a great opportunity in providing this service. Inspired by the idea that folks really want to do the right thing by their families, their communities and the earth, he has molded a business that makes composting easier.
In the Fall of 2011, the City of Middletown was chosen to participate in an EPA Zero Waste pilot program with the goal of increasing and expanding recycling programs. The current recycling rate is at about 30% and through waste audits, outreach and education, and new recycling capabilities that number is climbing.
Of the opportunity, Middletown's Recycling Coordinator, Kim O'Rourke said, “I am very excited to have this service come to Middletown. The City is working towards Zero Waste and a 60% recycling goal and this is a great way to help increase opportunities to reach it!”
To learn more about Blue Earth Compost, visit their website, www.blueearthcompost.com or (860) 508-7114. To learn more about Middletown's recycling programs visit: www.cityofmiddletown.com.
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