Composting

Composting is a great way to recycle organic matter, creating a useful product and keeping food out of our garbage. Montclair’s Home Composting Program is an opportunity to reduce waste, care for your yard, and trap greenhouse gases, all at a cheap price subsidized by the township. Here’s how it works: all you have to do is call the Montclair Compost Hotline at (973) 509-5721. There, any resident can buy composting bins at just over half the retail price and receive information about best composting practices.

Once you have a compost bin, you can deposit most organic matter that you might otherwise throw away. Common compostable items include yard and garden clippings, fruit and vegetable waste, and eggshells. Follow the EPA’s simple guide which lists compostable items. Once these scraps decompose into a soil amendment that farmers call black gold, the compost prevents weeds and soil erosion when spread throughout your yard or garden. What more, it enhances the soil’s ability to act as a carbon sink, drawing carbon out of the atmosphere and into the soil, helping to prevent global warming. Call the number above to take part in the program, or visit the township’s website to learn more.

Composting isn’t just for the home, either. Java’s Compost operates a pickup service in Montclair, retrieving compost from area businesses to compost themselves. If you’re wary about composting for yourself, Java’s also picks up food waste from homes! Their large-scale facility can handle more than at home composters, so follow their guide for an extensive list of what they can compost.

Montclair Climate Action supports the establishment of a municipal curbside composting service here in Montclair. Nearby Milburn has started a pilot program, and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same. New Jersey law mandates composting for some large producers of food waste like hospitals and grocery stores, but doesn’t yet promote public composting programs. If you support municipal composting, contact your representatives to make your voice heard.