Tennessee residents are invited to participate in a project to ramp up backyard composting across the state. The program, called “Come, Post Your Compost,” is coordinated by Tennessee Environmental Council as a way to keep food waste out of Tennessee’s landfills and turn it into useable soil for gardens or other practical purposes.

“Kitchen scraps can be turned into nutrient-rich soil so we want to teach folks to feed their gardens and not our landfills,” says Julia Weber, Organics Management & Recycling Program Specialist with Tennessee Environmental Council. “We thank our presenting sponsors TDEC and Kroger for making this fun project possible,” says Weber.

According to Weber, the program aims to engage 1,000 Tennessee residents in diverting 60 tons of food and yard waste from our landfills. Currently 40% of food produced in America goes uneaten, averaging about 20 lbs wasted per person every month, and only 3% of this food waste is composted, according to Weber.  Food waste is the single largest waste material in U.S. landfills, many of which are reaching capacity. Composting turns this waste into a resource.

Kroger, one of the project sponsors, has elevated its efforts to address food waste through its “Zero Hunger Zero Waste” plan launched a year ago. “Our ‘Zero Hunger Zero Waste’ initiative is our commitment to ending hunger in our communities and eliminating waste across our company by 2025,” says Melissa Eads, Corporate Affairs Manager for the Kroger Nashville Division.

Every participant in “Come, Post Your Compost” will have access to resources that include kitchen pails, DIY backyard compost kits, eligibility for cash prizes, a comprehensive website showcasing an interactive state map and county-specific pages, educational videos and articles, and community stories and photos of actual Tennesseans composting.

Visit tectn.org for more information and to get started with the composting project.