According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Oregon household’s throwaway more than 6 pounds of food each week, and 71-percent of the food discarded could have been consumed by a Central Oregon family experiencing food insecurity. In addition, food waste in the landfill contributes to the anaerobic production of methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, municipal landfills are the third largest source of methane emissions from human activities in the United States; food waste makes up more than one-third of the waste disposed of in landfills.

“As a community, we should be hyper-focused on preventing food waste all together,” said Courtney Voss, Municipal Manager for Republic Services of Central Oregon. “Donating food before it goes bad or connecting with organizations like the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance (HDFFA) or NeighborImpact makes a huge difference for families facing food insecurity.” Voss also stated that preventing food waste has seven times the GHG reduction potential of composting or diverting food waste.

“Prevention is the best approach, but we know that that isn’t always possible,” said Voss. “So, the next best thing to do is to avoid throwing food into the trash. Compost food waste at home or add it in with yard debris. Businesses, like restaurants and grocery stores, should sign up for commercial food waste services.”

To help the community to reduce food waste and support residents and businesses in their efforts to keep food waste out of the landfill, Republic Services of Central Oregon announced it will offer free Community Compost Workshops and Food Waste Assessments for businesses.

“Republic Services operates Deschutes Recycling, which is located next to Knott Landfill, with the goal of making the community more sustainable,” said Rusty Davis, Manager of Deschutes Recycling. Deschutes Recycling is open seven days a week for both drop off material and purchase of compost products.”

“One of our primary roles is to turn the food waste and yard debris we collect from the community into compost products. If you bring yard debris or food waste into Deschutes Recycling to drop it off or if you put material into your yard debris cart, it ends up at our compost facility,” said Davis. “But learning to compost can be a great way to put food waste from your home to good use right in your own backyard. We are offering workshops so the community can learn how.”

Compost Workshops will be offered beginning in April. For a schedule, office hours and more information, visit www.republicservices.com/centraloregon. Commercial food waste assessments are offered at no charge to commercial customers. Contact Courtney Voss at cvoss@republicservices.com for more information.