Compost is a bit like magic- you take food waste, add some air and wood chips, maybe give it a few turns, and in no time at all it has transformed into a powerful fertilizer for plants! May 29th is ‘Learn About Compost Day’. Chestertown now has multiple ways to turn your food scraps into something valuable.
Why compost?
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Reduce waste- food scraps and yard waste make up about 34% of what is thrown in landfills in Maryland according to Maryland Department of the Environment.
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Food and yard waste breakdown in landfills into methane which is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Composting can help fight climate change.
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Laws are in place or coming soon in Maryland that will require composting from businesses and institutions
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Finished compost is a phenomenal source of nutrients and organic matter that help plants to grow, increasing water holding capacity of the soil, increasing plant resilience, and more!
How can you compost in Chestertown?
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Commercial drop off: the Town of Chestertown is offering a new service of drop off composting at Washington College Semans- Griswolds Environmental Hall (next to the armory on Route ). For residents to bring their compostable materials just like they do with recycling at a recycling center. These two 95 gallon bins will be emptied weekly and the compost produced will come back for the use of landscaping around town. Since it is commercial and can get up to heat levels high enough to quickly break items down, meats, dairy, and compostable items can be included. Shore Soils, a local veteran owned small business will do the pick up, then they compost the materials and bring finished compost back to our town for our local gardens and parks! This drop off is free for residents of Chestertown and will be starting in early June- look for our banner.
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Commercial pick up: Shore Soils will pick up your kitchen scraps each week in a 5 gallon bucket and replace the bucket with a clean one. In return you get compost for your garden. Again, since it is commercial meat, dairy, and any items labeled ‘compostable’ can be included. Shore Soils also works with businesses such as Modern Stone Age Kitchen and institutions like Heron Point!
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Backyard: there are lots of great resources for how to start your backyard composting and many very simple easy systems. Some important things to consider with backyard composting is that there needs to be a ratio of carbon (‘brown items’ such as wood chips, dried leaves, and other high carbon items) and nitrogen (‘green items’ such as food scraps). If the pile starts to smell it might need more brown items. If it is very slow to decompose, it might need more green. Meat and dairy shouldn’t be used in backyard systems since it doesn’t get hot enough to break them down properly, and they can attract pests. Compostable items also won’t break down in backyard systems.
Tips for composting
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Take the rubber bands and stickers off your produce- these don’t break down, and they contaminate your finished product
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Biodegradable is not the same as compostable- biodegradable items often do not break down properly even if commercially composted- check your labels
For questions, please contact the town at at 410-778-0500.
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