Composting station available for Cavendish residents

When the Vermont legislature banned food scraps from the trash and mandated that they must be composted, the Town of Cavendish engaged the services of a company to haul away those scraps each week. That quickly became hugely expensive.

For several months, the Cavendish Transfer Station has been composting on site. That saves the carbon cost and the dollar cost of haulage, making composting more economical and environmentally sustainable. Any Cavendish resident with access to the transfer station can use the new composting section for no extra charge.

The following items are examples of what must be composted: peels, rinds, cores, eggshells, seeds, pits, bones, coffee grounds and paper filters, loose-leaf tea and paper tea bags and fats/oils/grease. It also includes food plate scraps/leftovers and any food that went bad. Not just food must be composted; if it was once part of something alive, like a plant or an animal, it does not belong in the landfill. Therefore, grass clippings and any other yard debris must be put into the compost.

The newly created compost will be available to Cavendish residents free of charge, although it will take time for the scraps and waste to become useable compost. Meanwhile, the town employees ask that people be more careful about what they throw into the compost pile. Plastic bags are not compostable. Some plastic food containers and utensils may be recyclable, but they are not compostable, despite the manufacturer’s claim. If they are clean, put them in recycling.

For those people who have a yard where they can set up a compost pile or bin, there’s no reason to bring that food and yard waste to the transfer station. Instead, create your own compost, which can be used to enrich the soil of lawns, gardens and potted plants. Information on how to make your own compost or about any aspect of food waste disposal can be found here and here.

For more information about the Cavendish transfer station, please call the Cavendish Town Office at 802-226-7291.