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DoomsdaysCW<p>An excellent resource from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EcoMaine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EcoMaine</span></a>! </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FoodWaste" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FoodWaste</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Composting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Composting</span></a></p><p>"Did you know that almost a third of what we throw away is leftover or spoiled food? If Maine is to achieve a 50% recycling rate, we need to recover our food waste, too – it’s worth the weight! </p><p>"ecomaine added food waste recycling to our sustainable waste management solutions in order to help Maine reach its recycling goal. We continue to build food waste recycling capacity in southern Maine, serving as a central collection point for grocery stores, institutions, and participating cities and towns.</p><p>"Collected food waste is transported to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExeterME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ExeterME</span></a>’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AgriEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AgriEnergy</span></a> [<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AgricycleEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AgricycleEnergy</span></a>] to be de-packaged and anaerobically digested to produce sustainable power, organic farm <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/fertilizer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fertilizer</span></a>, and cow bedding for the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Maine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Maine</span></a> family dairy farm <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StonyvaleFarm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>StonyvaleFarm</span></a>. Any packaging removed from the food waste is delivered back to ecomaine to be burned for energy—keeping all of it out of our <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/landfills" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>landfills</span></a>!</p><p>"By making <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/composting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>composting</span></a>, anaerobic digestion, and food waste recycling so easy, we encourage our communities to dispose of their waste responsibly.</p><p>"For more on compost that’s 'Worth The Weight,' check out our informational pamphlet!<br> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BackyardComposting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BackyardComposting</span></a></p><p>"Backyard composting is one of the easiest ways to keep organic material out of the trash. It also has some other great advantages:</p><p>- It doesn’t weigh your trash down as much.<br>- It doesn’t get into ecomaine‘s waste-to-energy plant, making our combustion more damp and less efficient.<br>- It’s easy – and “grass-cycling” (leaving clippings on the lawn) is better for your grass!<br>- It saves Maine’s towns money on collection and hauling.<br> - And it saves YOU money on trash bags!</p><p>"There are no trucks or driving involved – no carbon emissions! You just walk it out to your bin, and that’s it.<br> <br>"In the end, composting produces rich <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>soil</span></a> for flower and vegetable <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/gardens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>gardens</span></a> – without paying for it (again) at the store.</p><p>Drop Off Locations</p><p>"If you’re looking for a compost drop-off location, instead of putting it in your backyard, here are a few… If you know of one that’s not here, let us know! (Some facilities may be for residents only; we advise calling ahead if you’re not sure.) </p><p>[I've found that transfer stations are usually residents only...]<br> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BridgtonME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BridgtonME</span></a> Transfer Station<br>118 Sandy Creek Rd, Bridgton, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BrownfieldME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BrownfieldME</span></a> Transfer Station<br>Pequawket Trail, Brownfield, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CapeElizabethME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CapeElizabethME</span></a> Recycling Center<br>10 Cooper Dr, Cape Elizabeth, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EliotME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EliotME</span></a> Recycling Center<br>468 Dow Highway, Eliot, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FalmouthME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FalmouthME</span></a> Community Park<br>Winn Rd, Falmouth, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FalmouthME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FalmouthME</span></a> Transfer Station<br>100 Woods Rd, Falmouth, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FalmouthME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FalmouthME</span></a> Village Park<br>22 Hat Trick Drive, Falmouth, ME</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FreeportME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FreeportME</span></a> Recycling Center<br>100 Landfill Road, Freeport, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NorthYarmouthME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NorthYarmouthME</span></a> Town Hall / <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SamRistichNatureTrail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SamRistichNatureTrail</span></a>, North Yarmouth, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PortlandME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PortlandME</span></a>: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BoydStreet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BoydStreet</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CommunityGarden" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CommunityGarden</span></a><br>2 Boyd Street, Portland, ME </p><p>Portland: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BrentwoodFarms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BrentwoodFarms</span></a> Community Garden<br>Brentwood Street, Portland, ME</p><p>Portland: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Libbytown" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Libbytown</span></a> Community Garden<br>175 Douglass Street, Portland, ME </p><p>Portland: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NorthStreetCommunityGarden" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NorthStreetCommunityGarden</span></a><br>195 North Street, Portland, ME<br> <br>Portland: Parkside/King Middle School<br>In the back of the school near the Fitzpatrick Stadium parking lot<br>92 Deering Avenue, Portland, ME<br> <br>Portland: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PaysonPark" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PaysonPark</span></a> Community Garden<br>Dropoff located on Front Street.<br>Front Street, Portland, Maine </p><p>Portland: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ReicheSchool" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ReicheSchool</span></a><br>Dropoff is on the Clark Street side.<br>166 Brackett Street, Portland, ME<br> <br>Portland: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Riverton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Riverton</span></a> Community Garden<br>45 Verrill Street, Portland, Maine<br> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SacoME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SacoME</span></a> Dept. of Public Works<br>15 Phillips Spring Road, Saco, ME </p><p>Saco Parks &amp; Rec<br>75 Franklin St, Saco, ME, USA</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ScarboroughME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ScarboroughME</span></a> Public Works Facility<br>20 Washington Avenue, Scarborough, ME, USA </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SouthPortlandME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SouthPortlandME</span></a> City Hall<br>25 Cottage Rd, South Portland, ME, USA<br> <br>South Portland Code Enforcement Office<br>496 Ocean Street, South Portland, ME</p><p>South Portland Golf Course Maint. Building<br>221 Westbrook Street, South Portland, ME, USA</p><p>South Portland High School<br>637 Highland Avenue, South Portland, ME, USA</p><p>South Portland Transfer Station<br>929 Highland Ave, South Portland, ME, USA</p><p>South Portland: Redback Community Center<br>95 Macarthur Circle West, South Portland, ME</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandishME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>StandishME</span></a> Transfer Station<br>150 Moody Rd, Standish, ME, USA<br> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SurryME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SurryME</span></a>: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ChickadeeCompost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ChickadeeCompost</span></a><br>Jill's Lane, Surry, Maine www.chickadeecompost.com</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/VinalhavenME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>VinalhavenME</span></a> Transfer Station<br>178 Round the Island Rd, Vinalhaven, ME, USA<br> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/YarmouthME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>YarmouthME</span></a> Transfer Station<br>659 East Main Street, Yarmouth, ME, USA</p><p>Curbside Collection</p><p>And if you’re really not into the backyard thing, there are some companies who will pick it up for you!</p><p>- <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WeCompostIt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WeCompostIt</span></a>! (Greater Portland)<br>- <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GarbageToGarden" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GarbageToGarden</span></a> (Greater Portland)<br>- <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ScrapDogs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ScrapDogs</span></a> (Greater <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CamdenME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CamdenME</span></a>-<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RockportME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RockportME</span></a>)<br> - <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MrFoxComposting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MrFoxComposting</span></a> (Southern Maine &amp; <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NH" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NH</span></a>)<br> - <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ProjectEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ProjectEarth</span></a> (Lincoln County)<br> - <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ChickadeeCompost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ChickadeeCompost</span></a> (All of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BlueHillME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BlueHillME</span></a> Peninsula, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeerIsleME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DeerIsleME</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EllsworthME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EllsworthME</span></a>)<br>- <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OneEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>OneEarth</span></a> Composting (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HampdenME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HampdenME</span></a>)<br>- <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AgriCycle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AgriCycle</span></a> Energy (Collection from businesses &amp; organizations for anaerobic digestion – all over!)</p><p>Other Compost Resources:</p><p>Maine Department of Environmental Protection<br>207-592-0455</p><p>University of Maine Cooperative Extension<br>207-581-3188</p><p>Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine – Food Recovery<br>207-581-3195</p><p>Maine Organic Farmers &amp; Gardeners Association [<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MOGFA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MOGFA</span></a>]<br>207-568-4142</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WormMainea" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WormMainea</span></a><br>207-831-3752</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MainelyWorm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MainelyWorm</span></a> Bins</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/UncleJimsWormFarm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>UncleJimsWormFarm</span></a><br>1-800-373-0555</p><p>Source (with links):<br><a href="https://www.ecomaine.org/food-waste-and-composting/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">ecomaine.org/food-waste-and-co</span><span class="invisible">mposting/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarpunkSunday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarpunkSunday</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Composting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Composting</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WormBins" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WormBins</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ReducingWaste" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ReducingWaste</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Landfills" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Landfills</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Maine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Maine</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WasteToEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WasteToEnergy</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>So, my neighbor (who is on our town's select board) made the excellent suggestion that places that are more rural should invest in providing low-cost or free composters for folks to compost their own food waste (something that <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ecomaine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ecomaine</span></a> encourages)! Some more urban areas use <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GarbageToGarden" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GarbageToGarden</span></a> or <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WeCompostIt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WeCompostIt</span></a> services [see next post] to deal with food waste, which is sometimes where <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Agricycle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Agricycle</span></a> gets involved! <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EcoMaine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EcoMaine</span></a> has been partnering with Agricycle since 2016!</p><p>Ecomaine Launches Food Waste Recovery Service</p><p>Maine Public | By Patty Wight<br>Published September 7, 2016</p><p>"Open up a refrigerator and the chances of finding limp lettuce or soggy squash are pretty high. Here in the U.S., it’s likely that this food will find its way into the garbage — according to the USDA, at least 30 percent of the nation’s food supply is wasted.</p><p>"A new program launched Wednesday by ecomaine aims to get that food out of the trash and give it a second life as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/compost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>compost</span></a> or energy.</p><p>"When confronted with produce past its prime, says ecomaine’s CEO Kevin Roche, there’s really one major roadblock that steers people toward dropping it in the trash versus a compost bucket.</p><p>" 'The ‘ick’ factor is what I call it,' he says.</p><p>"Rotten food is messy, it smells and it attracts fruit flies. But Roche says ecomaine now has a unique way to manage the ick factor: by sealing that food waste in a clear plastic bag.</p><p>" 'You go to the grocery store, and when you buy your oranges or your head of broccoli, and the first thing you usually do is put it in a clear bag. And we feel that could be an avenue for us to contain the ick factor and get a second use out of that plastic bag,' he says.</p><p>"Starting Wednesday, ecomaine accepts food waste knotted up in plastic bags. Ecomaine doesn’t collect the bags itself. It consolidates waste picked up by commercial services, such as Garbage to Garden or <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WeCompostIt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WeCompostIt</span></a>!, at a cost of about $55 a ton.</p><p>"On Wednesday morning, a collection truck from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AgriCycleEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AgriCycleEnergy</span></a> unloads a giant salad of rotten corn, peppers, tomatoes and other produce at ecomaine’s facility in Portland.</p><p>" 'We’re collecting from restaurants, colleges, hospitals, and a variety of other generators of food waste,' says Dan Bell, manager at Agri-Cycle Energy in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExeterMaine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ExeterMaine</span></a>, where all of this produce consolidated at ecomaine will eventually go.</p><p>" 'A special machine at Agri-Cycle Energy removes the plastic bags, which are returned to ecomaine to be burned for electricity. The food waste, meanwhile, is blended with an equal amount of cow <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/manure" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>manure</span></a> from a nearby dairy farm, then heated and churned for about 30 days using a process called anaerobic digestion.</p><p>" 'We have two large domes, and it’s essentially enclosed, so we’re capturing all of the gases in the process of breaking down food waste,' Bell says.</p><p>"The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/biogas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>biogas</span></a> is used to produce heat and electricity. And the food waste, he says Bell, turns into <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/fertilizer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fertilizer</span></a> and animal bedding.</p><p>" 'This is material that’s been in the waste stream forever. And it always will be. And it’ll always be something that has to be handled. But pulling it out and removing it and source separating it allows companies like ours and other <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/digesters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>digesters</span></a> across the country to put that material to work for us, versus just sitting in a landfill,' he says.</p><p>"Because food generally doesn’t break down in landfills. A couple years ago, Roche says ecomaine dug down into one of its landfills.</p><p>" 'We found chicken breasts that were 25 years old, tomatoes, Ruffles potato chips that were 25 years old,' he says.</p><p>"Roche says businesses and consumers can prevent food waste through correct planning. But when lost or forgotten food is discovered in the dark recesses of a fridge, that’s where ecomaine’s food waste recovery program comes in.</p><p>"Initially, he says, it won’t account for a huge chunk of what ecomaine processes, which amounts to 170,000 tons of trash and 45,000 tons of recycling per year.</p><p>" 'Even if we can get upwards of five tons a year, we feel that would be a good start to our program,' Roche says.</p><p>"It’s an important step, he says, toward reaching Maine’s statewide recycling goal of 50 percent by 2021." </p><p>[I'm wondering how close Maine is to that goal?]</p><p>Source:<br><a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2016-09-07/ecomaine-launches-food-waste-recovery-service" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">mainepublic.org/environment-an</span><span class="invisible">d-outdoors/2016-09-07/ecomaine-launches-food-waste-recovery-service</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarpunkSunday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarpunkSunday</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Digesters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Digesters</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Composting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Composting</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ReducingWaste" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ReducingWaste</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Landfills" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Landfills</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Maine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Maine</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Recycling" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Recycling</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WasteToEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WasteToEnergy</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Compost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Compost</span></a></p>