Ten households have already signed up to contribute to the state’s first community composter in New Castle County’s Talley Day Park in North Wilmington. The smell proof, rodent proof composting bins can handle organic waste from up to 50 individuals. That includes browns (yard waste) and greens (uncooked food scraps).
Composting reduces the amount of waste headed to landfills, and creates a helpful organic soil additive. The Delaware Community Composting Initiative launched the project to help build up the state’s composting infrastructure and make it more accessible.
New Castle County Councilmember and Plastic Free Delaware co-founder Dee Durham says community composters offer both social and educational aspects to composting. “Some people can’t have a backyard composter, maybe they live in an apartment or something like that. Or they just don’t want to bother. But they might like the social aspect of doing this together with people. And learning from other people, and being a part of a group working on a project together.”