community services
Community Composting
I accept kitchen scraps from a small number of local households, by application only. Service is free of charge beyond a $20 security deposit for your collection bin. All you have to do is drop off your full bin and take a clean one away with you.
Accepting:
Cooked and raw foods including meat, bones, and fish products
Fruit and vegetable scraps, including pits, stems, rinds, etc. (no rubber bands, bags, clips, ties, etc.)
Pasta, bread, cereal, candies, cookies, cake, baking ingredients, herbs, and spices
Dairy products and egg shells (no waxy rinds)
Nuts and nut shells
Coffee grounds, filters, and tea bags (no staples)
Household plants including soil without pesticide or herbicide use
Unlined/uncoated paper food packaging, cut or torn to pieces
Paper towels and napkins, paper plates that are unlined/uncoated and cut or torn to pieces
Wood items such as toothpicks, popsicle sticks, coffee stirrers, and uncoated chopsticks
Dryer balls made of 100% wool
Repeated inclusion of non-compostable items will result from removal from the program. Failure to return collection bins upon voluntary or involuntary termination of membership in the program will result in the loss of the security deposit.
Paper and Cardboard
Having enough shredded "browns" (absorbent natural materials) to balance the moisture released by "greens" (the hot, wet, actively composting materials) is vital to the composting operation, and so we gratefully accept drop offs of clean, dry, plain, white or brown:
tissue paper
kraft paper
printing paper
drawing/art paper
paperboard
uncoated corrugated cardboard
paper towel and toilet paper roll cores
...without excessive printing or writing (>20% of surface area). No tape, staples, binding, stickers, paint, plastic windows, glitter, etc.
If the quantity donated is large enough, I will come pick up.
Pumpkins & Gourds
Accepting drop offs of plain, undecorated pumpkins, squash, and gourds that have not been knowingly sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or paints.
Small Logs & Large Branches
Bucked logs have many uses including bed-building, edging, and nutrient cycling. Bucked logs and branches donated in the metro area are gratefully accepted as drop-off, or pick-up if schedules permit.
Hard-to-Recycle Items
Getting to CHaRM is not always easy, but we are fortunate to be able to go regularly, and it's often possible to take along items from the community. We accept a limited amount of drop offs of these clean hard-to-recycle household items:
White styrofoam
Paint and household chemicals
Political/yard signs (fluted coroplast)
Small household electronics (think DVD players, toasters, string lights, cell phones, etc.)
Tires