Curbside Composting Pickup: Turning Kitchen Scraps into Gold

Despite the best intentions to compost, it's easy to abandon the idea when you factor in the time, energy and expertise needed to do it successfully.

Fortunately, curbside compost pickup services are beginning to take root. In Central Indiana, Earth Mama Compost is offering weekly ($10) or twice-monthly ($15) pickup of your kitchen scraps. Homes and businesses that sign up receive a five-gallon composting bucket and liner to fill with food waste (guidelines for what can be composted are found on EarthMamaCompost.com).

Why compost at all? Diverting organic matter to local farmers and community gardens – as Earth Mama does – is a win-win situation; the food waste stays out of landfills, and it's then used to enrich the soil in your area. The soil is used to grow local food that you'll consume, and the cycle continues.

"Living local, living sustainably, being good to the Earth and doing your part to help are all values I was raised with," says owner Marianne Holland. "My grandparents, parents and I have all composted for as long as I can remember. Several services like ours exist in cities across the country, and with all the exciting things happening right now in our city, it seemed Indianapolis was ready for this service, too."

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