Businesses: Food Scraps and Composting
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Why Food Scraps Are Important for Composting

The food we put in the trash doesn't seem like much, but look at the chart below. Food scraps and compostable paper used to serve or package food comprises the single largest catagory remaining in the waste stream by weight. Since food is wet and heavy, it weighs a lot even though it doesn't take up as much space in your trash can as paper or plastic. Please note that this chart includes only materials that are currently in the trash, and not the materials that are currently in the recycling and greenwaste containers.

Many people think that since food scraps decompose in the landfill, they should not be a problem. The truth is that landfills are kept as dry and oxygen-free as possible to prevent decomposition. Samples taken from old landfills show that hotdogs buried 20 years ago are still largely intact. Methane from decomposition causes problems in the landfill and can be a fire hazard as well as greenhouse gas.

Many natural resources as well as petroleum based fertilizers are used to produce food. By composting it, we can recover some of these nutrients and use them to grow more food.

Pilot Food Scraps Composting Program

The City is currently conducting a small pilot program to compost food scraps from local restaurants, coffee shops, and schools. The purpose of the pilot program is to work out a system for food composting, discover barriers, and estimate costs. Participating businesses are provided with yellow food scraps containers that are picked up several times a week. The food and paper are brought to the Engle and Gray Composting Facility in Santa Maria.

The pilot program is currently at capacity and cannot accept more food scraps. We hope to offer food scraps composting for all food serving businesses in the future.

Watch the video segment on food srap recovery from an Inside Santa Barbara Episode.

Worm Composting

Staff in City buildings and fire stations compost food scraps using worm bins located outside each building. This is called vermicomposting, and the worms are red wrigglers that eat most of the things that humans eat. These worms are different from earthworms which eat soil. They turn our waste and scraps into rich soil called worm castings. The castings are added to soil to strengthen plants to resist disease. Worm bins are compact and can be used for businesses that generate small amounts of food scraps. The worm bins are not large enough to accommodate food scraps from food serving businesses.

Redwood worm bins and red wrigglers are available locally at Island Seed and Feed in Goleta 967-5262. You can also use many types of containers that you already have for your composting bin. The County of Santa Barbara has produced a wonderful composting booklet that covers worm composting, anerobic, and aerobic composting. It may be hard to read due to the background, but you can obtain print copies by calling 882-3600. If you need help or advice for starting a vermicomposting bin, please contact Eric.