The whole lot you’ll want to learn about Pittsburgh composting
Steel City is putting more effort into growing towards sustainability
Published on Wednesday, June 9th, 2021
Some Pittsburgh residents have become increasingly aware of our environmental footprints. With the city’s participation in urban sustainability initiatives like the “P4 “initiative, it becomes clear that the former “Steel City” is on the way to a more sustainable life. A simple first step towards greener living habits is composting household waste.
Do you want to learn more about composting or can’t you find the perfect place to dispose of your compostable waste? 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
Pennsylvania Resources Council is a grassroots environmental organization advocating education, recycling, and waste management across the state. The non-profit group offers a Webinar This is where Pennsylvanians learn how to compost themselves, and attendees receive a free compost bin to get them started.
If you’re looking for tips on how to make your own compost, Grow Pittsburgh has a quick guide to getting started garden composting 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 matches trash donors with trash buyers in multiple 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 allow you to keep your leftover food out of landfills, Worm return is a company providing composting services to the city of Pittsburgh. 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 consultations where individuals or businesses can learn more about composting or worm composting.
Shadow worms is another great annelid initiative Option 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” do not necessarily have to be efficiently broken down in a landfill; Do you recycle them, throw them away, or are you trying to find a way to compost them? Home composters can pack fruit or vegetable waste, grass clippings or coffee grounds in a compostable manner. 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.
The best way to be truly environmentally friendly with waste is, of course, 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 besides goodwill – a look at all of the other places and organizations you can donate – clothing, electronics, building materials, and more
Recycle this Pittsburgh – a detailed website that provides guidance on what to and cannot recycle in Pittsburgh
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