Blog: Waste Wise Lane County Blog

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For folks in Eugene, Springfield, and Veneta, composting has been made easy

By Daniel Hiestand
Lane County Waste Reduction Outreach Coordinator

What's better than composting when it comes to reducing wasted food? Well, not having food scraps to compost in the first place.

However, attaining true zero-waste in the kitchen is impossible for most of us. So, what's the best thing to do with those pesky scraps? Compost!

And for county residents living in Eugene, Springfield, or Veneta city limits with curbside yard debris bins, you can place your food scraps—including meat and bones—into your yard waste bin for pickup.

And if you don’t live in one of those cities, you can compost at home (minus the meat).

This is a big deal if you are concerned about climate change and saving landfill space. Anytime you can avoid putting food in a landfill, it’s a huge win for the climate, as food waste creates extremely potent methane gas.

And if you are worried about things like attracting pests and the stink factor, our composting solutions sheet might be of service.

I'll leave you with some fascinating numbers on wasted food.

Between 30 to 40 percent of food grown in the U.S. goes uneaten, and wasted food makes up nearly 20 percent of Lane County’s garbage stream.
In Oregon, a family of four can save an average of nearly $2,000 annually by eating all the food they buy.
In the U.S., one in five people lacks consistent access to nutritious food, while up to 3 million tons of wasted food goes to landfills annually.
Reducing food waste is one of the most powerful personal actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Posted by LCPWDJH On 11 April, 2024 at 3:43 PM

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