Elizabeth McDade

My first step to act on my Climate Pledge was to enroll in the City of Rochester’s Compost Program, which is free to city residents. The program is super easy. They have multiple drop-off locations and provide you with detailed instructions and collection tubs and bins.

Since the Fall of 2021, I have composted 618 pounds of food waste! Instead of throwing things like coffee filters, tea bags, orange peels, and the bottoms of celery into the trash, I put them in my compost bin. Once a week I empty my bin at one of the convenient drop off locations staffed with helpful and knowledgeable City of Rochester staff. Those few easy steps have significantly cut down on the amount of trash I send to the landfill.

Landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the U.S. It is estimated that every pound of food thrown away results in nearly four pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental impact is due to fossil fuel consumption from waste transportation and the greenhouse gases produced as the food decomposes in a landfill.

Composting household food waste cuts greenhouse gas emissions, enhances soil quality, sequesters carbon, and enhances the ability of soil to act as a carbon sink.  Normally it takes 1,800 years to build 6 inches of topsoil, but with compost, it only takes 6 months.

Handling my food waste responsibly helps fight climate change on a daily basis. It’s something everyone can do starting tomorrow. The city’s program is FREE to city residents and they have room for more participants. Sign up today!