We all need to eat. Yet how we get our food varies—some of us grow our own, others buy from a local farmer’s market, shop at a local supermarket, or do a combination of all three. But, one thing we all have in common, no matter where we get our food, is that when we prepare and eat a meal, we generate food scraps and leftovers.

Those scraps and leftovers don’t need to go to waste. We can do something great here in Snoqualmie, and throughout this region, that people can’t easily do in most other parts of the country.

We can “close the recycling loop” by recycling our food scraps and food-soiled paper and then using the nutrient-rich compost made from this waste in our vegetable or flower gardens. 

If that sounds like too much of a hassle, take heart. There are ways to recycle our food waste in Snoqualmie, with some involving very little extra work:

• Sign up for curbside yard waste collection. In addition to yard trimmings, grass and leaves, you can toss into the green yard waste cart all your vegetable and fruit scraps, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, other food, napkins, pizza delivery boxes and other food-soiled paper. Call your garbage hauler to sign up for this fee-based service.

• Compost your vegetable and fruit scraps at home by using a worm bin or other approved method. To find out how, visit King County’s Web site at www.recyclefood.com and click on “Backyard Food Composting.” You can also start a backyard compost pile for your yard trimmings.

Signing up for yard waste collection or composting at home, will become even more important this fall when Snoqualmie discontinues its free, seasonal yard waste collection drop-off program. This program has allowed residents to drop off food scraps and food-soiled paper with yard waste. The last event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30; however, you can still take advantage of the program between now and then—events will be held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Snoqualmie Parkway.

This is open to residents in the 98065 zip code. Please bring your water utility bill for address verification. Once the drop off ends, signing up for curbside yard waste collection, so you can “close the loop” and recycle your food scraps and food-soiled paper, will be a great choice. For more info, call the city at (425) 888-1555.

When you set out your food waste at curbside with your yard waste, or bring it to the city’s drop-off program, those organic materials go to a regional composting facility that uses high-tech methods to “cook” the materials and turn them into a high-quality product sold at local hardware and garden stores. When you buy that compost for your own garden, or use the compost you make yourself at home, you are “closing the loop” in the healthiest way imaginable. Another potential benefit from food scrap recycling is that you may be able to save money on your garbage bill, by generating less garbage and dropping down to a smaller garbage can size.

Food scrap recycling is one of the great regional environmental success stories of the past 10 years, and we can all do it at home. So let’s get started!

• Contact King County Ecoconsumer Tom Watson at (206) 296-4481.