Some Pittsburgh residents have become increasingly aware of our environmental footprints. With the city’s participation in urban sustainability initiatives such as the P4 initiative, it is clear that the former Steel City is making progress towards a more sustainable life. A simple first step towards greener living habits is composting household waste.
Would you like to learn more about composting or can’t find the perfect place to dispose of your compostable garbage? Fear not, there are plenty of options for beginners or seasoned professionals when it comes to sustainable waste habits.
Find Out: Composting Classes in Pittsburgh
The Pennsylvania Resources Council is a grassroots environmental organization advocating education, recycling, and waste management across the state. The nonprofit group is running a webinar teaching Pennsylvanians how to compost your own garden, and attendees will receive a free compost bin to get them started.
If you’re looking for tips on how to make your own compost, Grow Pittsburgh offers a quick guide to getting started composting in your garden for beginners. This local nonprofit is a resource for Pittsburgh gardeners.
Find a friend or neighbor to share compostable waste
You can find a buddy to switch out your compostable trash. Share Waste is an online platform that can connect for free with people who want to take their compostable waste with them and donate it to someone with a garden, compost heap, or animals like chickens. It brings garbage donors together with garbage buyers in several cities. So you don’t have to be a Pittsburgh resident for this program to work for you.
Sustainable Subscriptions: Composting Services in Pittsburgh
If you’re looking for a city program that will help you keep your leftover food out of landfill, Worm Return is a company that provides composting services for the city of Pittsburgh. The worm return is a monthly service where you can collect your organic materials and turn them into nutrient-rich soil. In addition to the composting service, this women-run company offers educational counseling where individuals or businesses can learn more about composting or worm composting.
Shadyside Worms is another great option for the Annelids initiative for a residential composting program. This organization comes by weekly and collects waste from your home kitchen, making composting a breeze. The Compost People is another subscription service that also does the dirty work for you. They have a weekly pick up that makes you feel good about what you throw away. Currently they only serve the Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair and Mt. Washington neighborhoods, but more areas will follow shortly.
Compost Confusion: Can I Compost This?
Compostable packaging or “bioplastics” don’t necessarily have to break down efficiently in a landfill, so do you recycle it, throw it away, or try to find a way to compost it? Home composters can add compostable packaging to their fruit or vegetable scraps, clippings or coffee grounds. Check with your composting company to see if they can accept these types of items. If a facility doesn’t accept compostable bins, try to reuse them whenever possible and – as a last resort – they can be thrown in the trash. While it’s not the ideal option, over the long term you will eventually break down. By working with subscription services or taking a composting class, you will have a better idea of what to do with these tricky items.
Of course, the best way to be truly environmentally friendly with waste is to generate less waste. Reducing waste and reusing items in addition to composting can be the most effective way to reduce our carbon footprint.
More recycling resources in Pittsburgh
📌 Pittsburgh Buy Nothing Groups: Use the Buy Nothing Network to “give” your extra items to your neighbors.
📌 Where to donate your extra belongings in Pittsburgh in addition to goodwill: A look at all the other places and organizations you can donate things – clothing, electronics, building materials, and more
📌 Recycle this Pittsburgh: A detailed website with instructions on what to and cannot recycle in Pittsburgh
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