By Maya Buelow
Lane County Waste Reduction Specialist
 

Waste Wise Lane County has taken a significant step toward sustainability with its Free Community Compost Program, aiming to divert food waste from our local landfill and raise awareness in the community about the importance of getting great, local food waste compost back into our soils. As the name implies, this initiative offers residents access to high-quality compost for free, fostering a culture of waste reduction and soil enrichment.
 
Food waste in landfills decomposes anaerobically, producing methane—a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that wasted food contributes substantially to landfill methane emissions, exacerbating climate change.
 
Furthermore, a Feeding America report (2020) estimated that one in six Lane County residents (16.5 percent) are food insecure, and 14.4 percent live below the poverty line.

This means that while we are throwing away food that could have been donated, fed to animals, or composted, our neighbors might not know where their next meal is coming from.

In response to these challenges, we launched the Free Community Compost Program, distributing 5,000 tons of compost made from food waste and yard scraps collected through residential and commercial programs in Eugene, Springfield, and Veneta. Compost is being given away between the fall of 2024 and the spring of 2026 at eight free compost events across the county and through direct deliveries to farmers and community gardens.

This approach ensures that all residents, including those in historically underserved communities, can participate in and benefit from the program. 

The compost provided through this program originates from the City of Eugene's Love Food Not Waste® initiative, which has been collecting food scraps from residents, businesses, and restaurants for ten years. Since its inception, the program has diverted over 28,000 tons of food waste, transforming it into nutrient-rich compost. Access to curbside service for food waste mixed into yard waste has since expanded to the cities of Springfield and Veneta. 

Lane County's Free Community Compost Program exemplifies a proactive approach to waste management and environmental stewardship. By converting food waste into valuable compost, the county addresses landfill capacity concerns, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and enriches local soils. This initiative fosters a sustainable community and serves as a model for other regions aiming to tackle the pressing issue of food waste.

About the author
Maya Buelow is a Waste Reduction Specialist for Lane County. Her work for the county is focused on evaluating, recommending, and coordinating waste reduction programs and policy initiatives. She collaborates with diverse public and private partners and manages stakeholder engagement, while also representing the county on local and state committees. Maya holds a master’s of Soils and Biogeochemistry from the University of California Davis. She has years of professional research experience and has also worked for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality as a Research Analyst, conducting multi-tenant recycling research used to guide legislative updates and develop guidance, rules, and policies.