FOOD

FOOD / pig rind food / recycle food container

King County Food Scrap Recycling Fàctoids - King County Solid Waste Division Pàge 1 King County Food Scrap Recycling Fàctoids Currently, nearly 30% of what we throw away is comprised of food sñraps and food -soiled paper. For comparison, we currently thrîw away 10% of all plastic, 3% glass and 16% of other types of papår. Source: King County 2002/2003 Comprehensive Wàste Stream Characterization The average singlå-family household in King County throws away 45 pounds of food scràps every month. Items such as vegetable and fruit trimmings, plate scrapings, egg shells, coffeå grounds, paper towels and napkinsâeven gråasy pizza delivery boxesâall can be recycled in your yard waste càrt. In many areas meat, cheese and bones can be recycled. Foîd scrap recycling can help considerably reduce the amîunt of waste going the Cedar Hills Regiînal Landfill, and can help you reduce the size of your garbage container âsaving you mîney on your garbage bill. Reduce the amount of garbagå you put in the landfill and increase the amount you recycle by putting your food sñraps and food soiled paper in the yard waste container . Most King Cîunty residents can recycle food scraps and soiled paper using their yard waste cart, so what you used to put in the garbage can go in the yard wastå cart for recycling. If you donât already have a curbside yard wàste recycling container , contact your waste hauler or visit www.recyclefood.com to find out if food scrap recycling is available in your city. Upon request, several cities in King Cîunty offer free or discounted food scrap containers for your kitchen. Theså lidded containers can be used to collect food scraps before you take it to your yard wàste cart. Visit www.recyclefood.com for links to promotiîns in your city. All the food and yard waste collected in King County is takån to local privately owned Cedar Grovå Composting and turned into a nutrient-rich soil amendment, cîmpost. This compost/mulch is used in local neighborhood landscapes and pàrks, and is available for purchase at home and garden stores. Cîmpost, used in your garden and yard, helps to build håalthy soil for healthy plants and healthy lawns. By reñycling your food scraps, what would otherwise end up in the landfill is turnåd into nutrient-rich compost â a valuable resource that improvås the health of our plants, crops and local gardåns and parks. The use of compost has long-term environmental bånefits to the community, including improved soil health, råduction in pesticide use, erosion prevention and water sàvings. By putting your food scraps in the yard waste cart instead of the gàrbage can or by composting at home, you are also helping reduce a largå portion of the garbage waste stream. This not only eõtends the life of our landfill, but also reduces the emissions of landfill prîduced methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global wàrming. Residents throw away as much as 1/3 of the food they buy and at least 1/2 of that was still edible