This year’s Upcycle Day has an exciting addition. The City of Wyoming and the Environmental Stewardship Commission (ESC) are launching the City’s Composting Program. Wyoming is partnering with commercial composting company GoZero to provide this new service to residents, which offers the ability to return a wide range of materials beyond fruit and veggie scraps to the soil. The City obtained a grant from Hamilton County to help pay for the startup of this program.
Food waste is a massive problem, and this big step will help Wyoming stay ahead of the curve in its sustainability efforts as a city. The ESC estimates the program will initially divert 12 tons of food waste from the landfill and reduce Wyoming’s share of emissions by 9.36 metric tons per year. Lauren Albarella, a member of the ESC, said, “We know food waste is such a huge issue and we hope this helps lower our food waste from Wyoming.”
Sustainability is an important part of the City’s ethos. Wyoming’s 10-year Master Plan prioritizes sustainability and fiscal health. This program can help reduce greenhouse gases and landfilling and improve the soil.
The City is thrilled to offer the service for free—all residents need to do is show up and dump their food waste. Albarella is grateful for this new program: “I am so happy to live in a community that prioritizes sustainability efforts, and I’m grateful for the City and community for the support of this project.”
What You Need to Know:
- The composting program starts April 21 during Upcycle Day.
- The bins will be located at Oak Park and residents can drop off scraps at any time.
- The first 200 people who sign up using this link (https://wyomingohio.gov/citizen-action-line/#form/19943) will get a free five-gallon bucket to use to transfer food waste. These buckets can be picked up during Upcycle Day at Oak Park.
- Foods that can go in the bins: fruit, vegetables, pasta, beans, coffee grounds, baked goods, eggs, and shells, dairy, cooked meat, wood, cardboard, and more.
Don’t forget! The Wyoming Community Food Drive is also happening on April 22. This is another way to help prevent food from going to the landfill. Learn more here.
