Anchorage community compost program expands in second year

After a successful pilot year, Anchorage Solid Waste Services is quadrupling the size of their community compost program.

One thousand residents will be able to sign up for the program this Sunday at the Central Transfer Station between 9am to 4pm. Participants will receive an official 5-gallon municipal composting bucket that can be filled with food scraps and returned for a bucket of finished compost.

“Diverting that waste from the regional landfill really helps extend the lifespan of that landfill,” said recycling coordinator Travis Smith. “It's scheduled to close in 2050, which isn't that far away. So making sure that we really conserve that airspace in the landfill is really essential to the long term benefit of the whole community.”

In last year’s pilot program, 250 residents were allowed to participate. Smith said that effort diverted seven tons of food from the landfill.

Drop off sites this year include the Central Transfer Station and the Anchorage Regional Landfill.

Residents who forget to sign up on Sunday or do not receive one of the 1,000 spots available can still drop off compostable food scraps at the Central Transfer Station, but they will not receive compost in return.

The compost program will accept food scraps like banana peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, vegetables, etc. It will not accept meat, fish, poultry or animal waste.