Adventures in Composting: How I'm Generating Less Waste in 2020

When I was thinking of my New Year’s Resolution for 2020, reducing waste through composting came to mind. Seeing Lauren Singer’s now famous minimal jar of trash was a real inspiration to me and I realized that in the face of overwhelming strife on what exactly to do, this was an area in which I could have a positive impact. Seeing that my roommates and I throw out a full bag of trash at least four times a week and the fact that about 30% of US food supply is wasted, I figure we can make an impact with this effort! Methane gas, which is created when green waste decomposes in landfill, has a global warming potential of up to 28 times that of carbon dioxide.

Before I started, I had to overcome a couple barriers.

First, I live in a very small student apartment—we don’t necessarily have the space for a massive composting operation. Also because my apartment is small and I live with three roommates, I wanted to be cognizant of not generating unpleasant smells and fruit flies in our kitchen. 

I eliminated vermi-composting, in-vessel composting, or anything that required loads of equipment as options due to space limitations. I decided that collecting the waste and dropping it off at a proper disposal site was the best way to go—I don’t garden and therefore have little use for the end product. I had heard of Black Bear Composting, which UVA has worked with in the past for various events. However, I wasn’t sure where exactly I could take my compost on a regular basis. 

In my research, I came across Charlottesville’s Pilot Composting Program. In addition to composting at the City Market or the McIntire Recycling Center, the city is testing out a Residential Compost Drop-Off initiative. Participants sign up via email and are assigned a locked compost bin where they can drop off waste at their convenience using a given lock code. The best part: it’s completely free for city residents to join!

I signed up, and received an envelope full of materials to get started:

Once I felt comfortable with what to compost and how, I invested in this freezer compost bin and a set of compostable bags. The bin fit perfectly into our freezer door. One thing to note: it fills up quickly! My roommates and I can easily fill the bin within 2 days. To help mitigate this, we decided to keep our dry compostables like uncoated paper towel rolls into another box by our balcony door.

Whenever the bin is full, we take it to our designated drop-off site. The directions the city gave me were clear and easy to follow, so I didn’t have much trouble finding it the first time. Currently, the program has no end date so registration is open to any city resident.

If we go twice a week, my roommates and I can divert nearly 70% of the waste we generate in our apartment to be repurposed (recycling considered). While addressing the climate crisis can be overwhelming, an action as small as composting reminds me that I’m a part of something bigger and can make a difference.

Since beginning to compost, even my morning routine has become less wasteful. I invested in compostable silk floss (complete with a compostable container) and every time I brush my teeth, I feel like solutions are possible. It’s a small act, but I can’t think of a better way to start the day. 

Note: Email composting@charlottesville.org with your name, address, phone number and email to sign your household up for the Pilot Composting Program! More information here.