Grinding for Good

Depending on who you ask, 20–25% of all garbage that goes to the landfill is compostable food waste. On Orcas, that’s as much as 2,800 tons every year – material we pay to ship 400 miles away to a landfill in Eastern Washington. 

Composting is far better for the environment than landfilling. In a landfill, food waste breaks down without oxygen, releasing powerful greenhouse gases like methane. Composting, by contrast, uses oxygen to recycle nutrients and dramatically reduce emissions. It closes the natural nutrient loop, turning waste into a valuable resource that supports healthy soil, local agriculture, and a more sustainable island.

Our goal for this next year is to purchase a tub grinder (a commercial-grade grinder costs about $250,000) – a powerful industrial chipper that can handle everything from branches and stumps to logs and other organic material.

Having our own grinder will save thousands each year that we currently spend renting one for mulch production. More importantly, it will allow us to produce a steady supply of browns (carbon material) to mix with greens (food waste rich in nitrogen) –  the key to creating high-quality compost.

If you’d like to support bringing composting to Orcas Island, feel free to donate below.