Hey there food scrap fanatics!

Here's to hoping this newsletter finds you falling in love with food waste reduction as we’re beginning this pilot program! We're thrilled to have you aboard as we're turning your food waste into garden gold. In our first month, we've collected a whopping 4590 pounds of food scraps!

Y’all are broc-stars!

We’ll be sending out this newsletter monthly with updates on collection, tips for your bins, reminders and events so please consider saving us to your contact list to stay informed. It’s been so fun to meet you all during bin pickup and food scraps drop off for the past few weeks. We love hearing what’s working and what challenges you may have encountered, so please say hi and shoot us an email or a Facebook message at any time with questions or ideas.

We can’t do this pilot without each of you!

TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

This month we're putting the spotlight on our incredible interns, Erica and Emily! You’ll see these two most often at the Saturday drop-off sites collecting food waste, surveying participants, taking photos and video for our social media, and cracking us up with Taylor Swift references. If you see them during drop off give them a wave and a big thank you!

CONTAMINATION CORNER

Let's face it - contamination is about as cool as a soggy french fry . While there are a lot of items that we do accept at the food scraps drop off, here’s a gentle reminder of some items that we do NOT accept in our bins at this time:

"COMPOSTABLE" BAGS & SERVICEWARE PRODUCTS

While there are some programs that accept compostable bags or “green bags” as they’re often called, the City is not currently accepting compostable bags and serviceware as part of this program. We get the question of “why not?!” a lot, and the sad reality is that they don’t always break down very well. We’re committed to keeping our finished compost as free of debris as possible, so at this time we request that you only line your buckets in the provided paper bags (or go liner-less)! Remember, stashing your food scraps in the freezer until drop off will help prevent your bin from getting too messy.

FOOD STICKERS & PRODUCE TIES

Please peel off your fruit and produce stickers and remove any produce ties or rubber bands from materials before drop off. These items don’t biodegrade completely and are NOT compostable.

FOOD PACKAGING & WRAPPING

Remove all food wrappers and packaging before disposing of your scraps in the organics bin at the drop off centers. Food wrappers like the one pictured may seem like regular brown paper, but butcher paper is often lined with a thin layer of plastic to prevent leakage.

All of these items contribute to contamination of our composting stream. This contamination hinders the composting process resulting in more trash to be removed from the finished product. By taking the time to separate food scraps from their packaging, we ensure that organic waste can decompose naturally and be transformed into nutrient-rich compost.

TELL US HOW ITS GOING

We're curious as cats and we want to know how the pilot is going! As part of the grant that is funding this pilot program, we'll be checking in with you all to see what is working, what isn't, and ask for any suggestions or additions to the program that you'd like to see. Your feedback is more valuable than a truckload of compost, so we've put together a quick 5-minute survey to get your thoughts. Thanks in advance for helping our program to grow!

STILL NEED TO PICK UP YOUR BIN?

Did you forget to pick up your bin? Don't fret! Bins are still available at the following sites:

FRANKLIN AVENUE RECYCLING CENTER : Bin pickup is available during food scraps drop off hours on Saturdays from 9 AM - 12 PM.

LONE PINE AVENUE RECYCLING CENTER : Bin pickup is available during food scraps drop off hours on Saturdays from 1 PM - 4 PM.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES CENTER : Bins are available for pickup during regular office hours Monday - Friday from 8 AM - 3 PM. Please email [email protected] or call 417-864-2090 prior to picking up your bin so we can have it ready for you!

ARE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS JEALOUS OF THE EXCLUSIVE CLUB YOU'VE JOINED AND WANT IN TOO?

They can still join the food scrap fun! Signups are still available at www.springfieldmo.gov/foodscraps

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

FOOD SCRAPS DROP OFF

There will be no food scraps drop off hours at Franklin Avenue Recycling Center on November 4th. Our staff will all be at the Yardwaste Recycling Center for the 2nd annual Pumpkin Smash, so grab your food scraps and your pumpkins and seasonal décor for a smashing good time! Lone Pine Avenue Recycling Center food scraps drop off will be available that afternoon.

UPCOMING EVENTS