MDI Food Waste Compost Project

BHGC Food Waste Compost Project welcomes members and the public

 The Bar Harbor Garden Club (BHGC) offers a Food Waste Composting subscription service at the Stone Barn Farm Preserve located on Crooked Road in Bar Harbor. BHGC partners with Chickadee Compost and Maine Coast Heritage Trust to offer this subscriber service to divert food waste which would typically be disposed of at local landfills. There are openings for subscribers and BHGC invites members, friends, family, and the public to join the program.

Since starting in the fall of 2024, it is estimated that about 36,400 pounds of food scraps have been composted from the Stone Barn shed during the partnership. In total last year, Chickadee processed over 551,000 pounds of food scraps from across Hancock County.

Background

Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up about 40 percent of what is thrown away. Every year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that could be composted. Organic waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By composting wasted food and other organics, we can decrease our community’s carbon footprint and reduce solid waste brought to landfills.

What is compostable?

All food can be composted, including shellfish, meat, dairy, and smallish bones. Please remember to remove stickers, twist ties, rubber bands, and all packaging from your food. Paper napkins and paper towels are accepted to compost. Please do not dispose lint, glass, metal, plastic, or rubber into your waste. If you want to use a liner for your bucket, please use a brown paper bag. This is the best material for the compost process. Please do not use bioplastic compostable bucket liners, as these are not acceptable by the Maine Organic Farmer Association (MOFA) who provides the organic certification to Chickadee Compost.

Subscriber Benefits

 As an MDI subscriber, you are offered one free bag of compost in the spring and one free bag of compost in the fall. Chickadee Compost offers compost for sale exclusively to MDI subscribers early in the spring and fall seasons. Check with Kate Tomkins of Chickadee Compost regarding the date when spring and fall compost will be available and time of delivery.