Free Workshops: Recycling through Composting Program

Posted by on October 15, 2004

City’s Recycling through Composting Program Announces Free Workshops for Fall 2004

Philadelphia Gardeners Divert Tons of Organic Waste from Landfills

The City of Philadelphia Streets Department is pleased to invite residents to one of the following free composting workshops:

North – Wednesday, October 20th, 6:00 p.m.
Oak Lane Branch Library, 6614 North 12th Street

South – Wednesday, November 3rd, 6:00 p.m.
Whitman Branch Library, 200 Snyder Avenue

Northwest – Wednesday November 17th, 6:00 p.m.
Falls of Schuylkill Branch Library, 3501 Midvale Avenue

Registrations are also open for six additional workshops in the Spring, at other branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Training programs are about two hours in length. After completing the workshop, Philadelphia residents are urged to join the Recycling through Composting Team. Participants may pledge to compost yard waste and report on materials diverted from their household waste stream. The signed pledge form entitles the household to one home compost bin worth approximately $85. Residents interested in attending a compost-training workshop must pre-register by calling (215) 686-5444. Space permitting, anyone is welcome to attend as a guest and receive training and a
manual, but only pre-registered Philadelphia residents presenting appropriate identification – whose households have not previously received a bin – will be eligible to receive a back yard composter. If demand exceeds supply, priority will be given to the earliest registrants.

Art McGee, who attended a workshop last year, says, “I am amazed at how fast everything breaks down… Our garden did great this year. What a great way to recycle.” Holmesburg Librarian Catherine Huntzberry, who composts in her garden, says, “Why throw away leaves and clippings, when you can turn them into a valuable resource? I consider it black gold.”

Philadelphia’s gardeners, as they rake up fall leaves and prepare their yards for winter, can build compost piles to improve the soil in their gardens and at the same time save landfill space. According to reports from team members, each household that joins the Recycling through Composting Team diverts an average of 500 pounds of yard waste per year from the waste stream. “We thank the enthusiastic members of the Recycling through Composting Team whose commitment to this environmentally sound program has helped to make it a growing success,” says David B. Robinson, City of Philadelphia Recycling Coordinator.

The City’s Recycling through Composting Program provides Philadelphia residents with free training about urban composting, including an introduction to worm bin composting for those who don’t have outdoor space. Thanks to the support of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the City can make backyard compost bins available to participants at no charge.

The City of Philadelphia Streets Department is pleased to be partnering with neighborhood facilities of the Free Library of Philadelphia in extending the Recycling through Composting Program to the public.

Individuals, community gardens and environmentally concerned organizations interested in learning more about this program should call (215) 686-5444, extension 2. A recording with the full schedule of workshops is available on that line 24 hours a day. Program information will also be available on the Streets Department’s web site at http://www.phila.gov/streets and on the City’s Government Access Cable Channel 64.