New guidelines will make for cleaner composting

We now have new composting guidelines for all of Boulder County that will make it simpler for households to keep methane-producing organic waste out of landfills. These new guidelines mean only two types of waste belong in compost bins: food scraps and yard waste. Food scraps can be loose or in Cma-approved green compostable 3-gallon bags. No more paper napkins, coffee filters, tea bags, cardboard, pizza boxes, paper bags, shredded paper, or non-food items with “compostable” labels. These labels are often misleading because some manufacturers pretend their products are more eco-friendly than they actually are. Yard waste should be put in loose and unbagged.

The purpose is to provide clean, uncontaminated organic materials for the organic processor so they can produce valuable highquality compost. Eco-cycle has clear information about the new guidelines at ecocycle.org. People can quickly learn the guidelines and see helpful tips, like freezing full food-scrap bags before placing them in bins.

Visit longmontcolorado.gov to sign up for curbside composting, explore city-wide waste diversion options, and learn about Longmont’s recently updated Zero Waste Resolution. Diverting 75% of waste from landfills by 2030 is a goal within reach — we’ve already achieved a 41% diversion rate. But we have to get more organic materials out of landfills via composting, increased recycling, and avoiding single-use disposables. Eco-cycle is a great resource for other ways to improve our waste diversion efforts.

Composting is an inexpensive, concrete action folks can take to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The new guidelines provide an opportunity to learn more. Please give this some attention, and sign up for curbside composting. If you add composting and switch to every-otherweek trash collection, you’ll get a new yellow-lid smaller trash bin and pay the same amount for collection, with a whole lot of added value for the whole community!