HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHERE YOUR FOOD WASTE GOES AFTER YOU PUT IT ON THE CURB IN YOUR COMPOST COLLECTIVE KC BUCKET? WELL TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAY, SINCE WE’VE GOT THE INSIDE SCOOP! 

We use Missouri Organic Recycling, which has the capability to do large-scale industrial composting. Here is a great video explaining what they do at Missouri Organics. 

How is industrial composting different from home composting? 

First of all, it’s different in quantity. Missouri Organics collects up to 50-60,000 pounds of food waste a day, and has the ability to turn all of that into compost. They do that by utilizing windrow composting. That is an open-air process that uses long piles about five feet high called “windrows”. Windrows are turned regularly (about twenty times over three months) to ensure all the material has a turn in the warm center of the pile where the microorganisms help to speed up the decomposition. After the compost is “cooked” it is screened to remove any contaminants before being packaged for resale. 

Missouri Organic Recycling makes an impressive amount of compost, here is what their website states: 

“Every year we divert more than 32 million pounds of food waste from area landfills, which is enough to cover fifteen football fields a foot deep. Since 2008, we’ve diverted more than 150 million pounds of food waste alone. Think of it as farm to table, to compost, and back again to the farm. We combine this food waste with a portion of the more than 150,000 cubic yards of brush brought to our facilities to create 54 million pounds of compost annually.”

There are other ways you can support MO Organics while you are sending your food waste with CCKC. They have a Yard Waste Recycling program that will take items from your yard if you have grass clippings or leaves, they will even take limbs that have fallen down (especially helpful with the stormy season we are just about to get into!) They even have a Sudden Gardens program to help you get a garden started in your yard! 

If you are a small business, take a look at participating in the FRED program with MO Organics.  Or use their tub grinding service for grinding any wood waste your company has!

Make sure you tag us in your photos of activities through the week! We would love to see how you celebrate! 

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