FOOD SCRAP COLLECTION

FOOD SCRAP COLLECTION. In 2006 Dubuque initiated Iowa’s first curbside food scrap collection for composting program. Within three years, participation reached the maximum capacity allowed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources at the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency’s (DMASWA) composting facility. This “Green Cart” collection program served over 220 residential customers, 14 schools, and seven other businesses and community groups. As a result, the City’s program had a waiting list of four years.

The Dubuque City Council approved a contract at their April 15, 2013 meeting that allowed for the expansion of Dubuque’s curbside collection of food scraps for composting program. The expansion represented a value-added service that allowed city customers to include food scraps and compostable paper in their yard waste cans, bags, and carts. The additional materials were made into compost reducing greenhouse gas pollution. Under the new contract with Full Circle Organics, LLC (FCO), the City deliver its collected “organics” (grass, leaves, brush, food scraps, and compostable paper) to FCO’s commercial composting facility near Farley.

As of 2013 up to 300 households, businesses, and institutions were allowed by the State of Iowa to subscribe to this fee-based program. Subscribers were provided a 2-gallon KitchenCatcher and a 12-gallon, wheeled, GreenCart. The subscription for each GreenCart was $0.60 per month and was billed on your City Utility Bill. Larger container options were available to business and institutional customers: 48 gal carts at $5.50 per month and 64 gallon carts at $8.50 per month.

The DMASWA compost site was expected to continue to be partly used as a drop-off and transfer point for yard debris. The change could open up acreage at the DMASWA landfill site to be used for other discard management programs like shingles recycling.

Acceptable compostable materials in yard debris/Organics Co. collection included all food scraps (including meat and bones), coffee filters and tea bags, all food-soiled paper products, paper cups and plates, paper towels, placemats, napkins, and paper bags.

Unacceptable materials included plastic bags, straws, lids, wrapping, containers, diapers, clothing, shoes, treated/painted wood, dead animals, animal waste/litter, cigarette butts, vacuum cleaner bags, hygiene products, and medical and hazardous waste

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Source:

News Release. City of Dubuque. April 17, 2013. Online: http://www.cityofdubuque.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3528