❗️ Program Reminders 

With the summer upon us, here are some important reminders to continue to make this program a success!

1. This program is ONLY for residential households. Events, gatherings, and businesses are not permitted to utilize the drop-offs.
2. If using bags to collect food scraps and throwing into the compost carts, please use brown paper bags or compostable plastic bags marked BPI compostable and/or ASTM D6400. You do not have to use bags.
3. Do NOT leave food scraps on top of or beside the carts. If the carts are full, please come back another day or go to a different drop-off site. Let us know so we can check in with the hauler. Food outside of the shelters will create a mess and odors as well as attract vermin, bugs, and bears. 

📆 Fiscal Year 2023 Review

We made great strides in the program this past year!

• Opened 6 new locations with a total of 8 sites now
• Increased registered participants to 7,242 residents
• From the beginning of the program to date, 413,165.5 lbs of food scraps have been diverted!

🍅 Prevent food from becoming waste in the first place

While composting is a great way to keep food out of the landfill, let's first try to prevent this waste. Here are some helpful tips:

• Plan meals for the week around items you have in your pantry, refrigerator or cabinets.
• Know the meaning of date labels like “sell by,” “use by,” and “best buy."
• Understand your refrigerator’s temperature.
  • The door is the warmest area – use for condiments but not milk or eggs
  • The lowest shelves are the coldest area – use for meat, poultry and fish
  • Rule of thumb: it is coldest at the bottom and in the back, and warmest at the top and in the front.
  • Set the temperature for 40 degrees or below.
  • Don’t overpack to ensure cold air circulates.
• Choose the right place for fruits and vegetables.
  • Most fruits should be placed in a low-humidity refrigerator drawer
  • Most vegetables should be placed in a high-humidity refrigerator drawer
  • Fruits like apples, bananas, peaches, apricots, and avocados release ethylene gas, which makes nearby fruit ripen faster. Store these types of fruits away from others.
• Additional Resources:
  • Use the Food NC
  • WNC Food Waste Solutions
  • ReFed