Residents can have their food waste composted by the county as part of a pilot program launched earlier this month.
From 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday, any county resident can take their food scraps to the Department of Environmental Services’ Solid Waste Bureau at 4300 29th Street S. in Shirlington, near the Animal Welfare League of Arlington’s headquarters.
There, the scraps are being collected in two green carts at the bottom of the scale house, at the top of the Trades Center hill. Staff will be on hand to assist with disposal.
Per a county fact sheet on the program, the following food scraps are being accepted:
- fruits
- vegetables
- food soiled paper (paper towels, napkins and paper plates)
- coffee grounds, filters and tea bags
- breads, grains and pasta
- meat and seafood (including bones)
- plate scrapings
Collected scraps are processed at the county’s Earth Products Recycling Yard using a composter. The compost that is produced will then be given to the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation to use in landscaping projects and to amend topsoil in public spaces.
DES staff said they launched the pilot program to “address increasing interest from residents to manage food disposal through a more environmentally conscious process.”