Did you know that according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, food scraps and yard waste combined currently make up nearly one third of what is sent to our landfills, where it then takes up space and releases potent greenhouse gases?
Charlotte’s commercial food sector alone generates hundreds of thousands of tons each year. In 2017, the City of Charlotte’s Sustainability office began discussing potential solutions to reduce the amount of food waste dumped in local landfills. One program proposed the introduction of composting at the Government Center Showmars’ location, paid for by the City of Charlotte. This particular Showmars’ location is the only restaurant located within a government building, making it an ideal candidate for such an innovative concept. The city partnered with Crown Town Compost to manage the new project.
Crown Town Compost started in 2014 by three co-founders who saw the environmental importance of creating an additional waste option for Charlotte’s residential and commercial industries. Both residents and local businesses can receive a compost bucket to store their food waste in, which is picked up on a weekly basis.
With mobile text reminders, the Crown Town Compost team is able to seamlessly communicate with residents and business owners about individual pickup schedule changes.
Crown Town Compost then takes all food waste to an industrial farming facility that over time transforms the waste into nutrient-rich soil, which is available for purchase.
When the Showmars Program launched in 2017, it initially focused on just the restaurant’s kitchen area to practice proper composting. Management and staff members underwent education and training sessions to better understand what could and could not be properly composted. As a general rule, if it is edible but not meat, bones, fat or dairy, it can be composted. Other items such as napkins, eggshells, and coffee grounds can also be included, but an excessive amount of liquids should be avoided. This program also encouraged a shift from Styrofoam drinkware to compostable cups, yet another item that is welcomed in the compost buckets provided by Crown Town Compost. Erika Ruane, the City of Charlotte’s Sustainability Coordinator commented,
“Crown Town Compost made it easy to start a composting program at Showmars. Once employees were trained, it became a part of the daily routine.”
The program hopes to expand to offering bins for customers to participate as well, but in the past have experienced issues with contamination from non-compostable trash being discarded in the buckets. The city hopes that with additional signage to educate customers on what can and cannot be composted, they will see an increase in use. There have also been discussions about launching a smaller composting program in the old City Hall building so employees can participate and give feedback on its effectiveness.
The Showmars Program is just one of many green initiatives the city is currently running. For more information on other projects that the City of Charlotte’s Office of Sustainability is focusing on, visit their website at www.charlottenc.gov/sustainability.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Crown Town Compost programs and supporting an important local small business initiative, visit them online at www.crowntowncompost.com.
For more information on the other ways that the City is helping small businesses thrive, visit www.charlottebusinessresources.com to see the latest resources and opportunities. Be sure to check out the “Early Bird” section to stay up to date with the latest job openings in the area.
Sources:https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-homehttps://www.crowntowncompost.com/
