Courtesy photo

Fayetteville residents can now drop off compostable food waste at either the Marion Orton Recycling Center on North Street or the city’s Compost and Mulch Facility at 1708 S. Armstrong Ave.

The food waste collected will be combined with commercial food waste the city collects and then processed into nutrient-rich compost available for purchase.

Commercial food waste collection began as a pilot program in 2016 with nine customers. Officials said dozens of restaurants and grocery stores throughout the city have since added the three-times-a-week service, in addition to recycling, to reduce their overall trash costs and materials sent to the landfill.

For residential collection, city staff recommends placing materials in a lidded container and dropping off once a week to reduce odors.

Acceptable food waste materials include: Fruits and vegetables; coffee grounds and tea with filters; consumable liquids; dairy and non-dairy (nut) items such as milk, cheese and yogurt; bread, dough, bakery items, pasta, grains; eggs and egg shells; food-soiled paper such as paper bags, paper towels and paper napkins; cooked meats and fish, such as shells, bones, wooden skewers, and wooden cocktail sticks; and processed foods like pizza, cereal, chips, crackers, cooked meats and plate scraps.

Items that are not accepted include: raw meats (fish, poultry, pork, seafood, beef); plastic bags, serve ware, utensils, twist-ties and rubber bands; wood, metal, glass or other non-food items; and fats, oils, greases, non-consumable liquids, vegetable oil and lard.

The city offers two types of compost for purchase. Food waste compost is $35 per two-cubic-yard scoop, and yard waste compost is $25 per two-cubic-yard scoop. Mulch is available for free to Fayetteville residents and $10 per two-cubic-yard scoop. Compost and mulch are available to residents and non-residents.

For more information, visit www.fayetteville-ar.gov/compost for contact Heather Ellzey, the city’s Environmental Educatorat 479-718-7687.