Events

City of Charleston Hosting Composting Workshops; Three New Drop Sites Opening in March

Published

2 years ago

February 17, 2023

Press Release

The city of Charleston and regional partners will host a series of free workshops for residents to learn about composting.

Workshops are designed to provide tools and resources to help residents get started composting, including information on the new food scrap drop-off program and composting at home.

Residents are invited to join a workshop of their choice and pick up a free, reusable kitchen compost caddy:

Tuesday, February 21, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Bees Ferry West Ashley Library, 3035 Sanders Road
Tuesday, February 28, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Folly Beach Community Center, 55 Center Street
Saturday, March 4, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Daniel Island Recreation Facility, 160 Fairbanks Drive
Monday, March 20, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at James Island Recreation Complex, 1088 Quail Drive
Wednesday, April 19, 12 to 1 p.m. at Charleston Gaillard Center, 2 George Street and via ZOOM

Workshop space is limited. Please RSVP at www.charleston-sc.gov/compost

Thanks to a regional partnership with the city of Charleston, Charleston County and the city of Folly Beach, multiple drop sites are available for residents in the Charleston region to drop off food scraps at no charge. Three new sites will open on March 1. The food scraps are then sent to the Bees Ferry Compost Facility, instead of the landfill, to be recycled into compost.

How to compost: Residents interested in dropping off food scraps must sign up in order to learn how the program works and what items are accepted. The sign up form is also available at www.charleston-sc.gov/compost.

Once registered, food scraps can be dropped off at any of the sites listed below:

Corinne Jones Park at 36 Marlow Drive (Peninsula)
Elliotborough Park at 134 Line Street (Peninsula), opening March 1
Medway Park at 2101 Medway Road (James Island)
James Island Recreation Complex at 1088 Quail Drive (James Island), opening March 1
Bees Ferry Landfill at 1344 Bees Ferry Road (West Ashley)
Ackerman Park at 55 Sycamore Avenue (West Ashley)
Folly Beach City Hall at 55 Center Street (Folly Beach)
Governors Park at 165 Fairbanks Oak Alley (Daniel Island), opening March 1

For more information about each drop site, including hours open and directions to access the site go to www.charleston-sc.gov/compost

What is composting? Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as food scraps, into a valuable soil additive. The resulting decomposed matter, which looks like dark fertile garden soil, is called compost. This material is rich in nutrients and can be used as a natural fertilizer in gardening, agriculture, landscaping and more.

Why it matters: Charleston-area residents throw away more than 30,000 tons of food scraps each year, and food scraps make up over 25% of the collected waste. By diverting food scraps from the landfill, composting cuts down on the amount of garbage collected, lowering expenses.

Landfills make up 17% of the United States’ methane emissions – a gas 20 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Composting helps reduce these harmful greenhouse gas emissions from landfills and helps protect our air and water from pollution, contributing to the City’s Climate Action Plan goals.

By nourishing the soil, compost also helps increase the stormwater absorption capacity of healthy parks and gardens.

Finally, compost reduces the need for expensive chemical fertilizers, makes plants healthier and can be used without harming wildlife or ecosystem health.