www.curbsidecompostmn.coop

History:

Curbside Compost Cooperative is a group of passionate people dedicated to finding local solutions to environmental and social issues. Our mission is to reduce waste filling up the Rice County landfill and lower local greenhouse gas emissions, while creating quality local jobs and providing an excellent service for our customers! We started collecting compost in the summer of 2017 after years of research and planning.
A worker cooperative is a values-driven business that puts worker and community benefit at the core of its purpose. The two central characteristics of worker cooperatives are:

Why Should I Compost My Household Organic Waste?

Environmental Benefits:

The US creates about 2.6 million tons of food waste every year. Less than 7% of that is composted, and around 75% of it goes to a landfill. Compostable food waste accounts for over 20% of all waste sent to landfills. When food waste sits in landfills, it can’t decompose fully, so it releases significant amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas more harmful than carbon dioxide. Landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the US, and much of that could be prevented by composting.

Adding compost to soil adds nutrients, reduces erosion, and improves soil structure. This means farmers don’t have to add as many chemical fertilizers, and can worry less about soil loss. Composting is an easy way to support sustainable agriculture, and turn your food back into food!

Community Benefits:

Landfill: The Rice County landfill is filling up! We want to divert as much waste as possible so that we extend the life of our landfill. A significant portion of waste that goes to the landfill is compostable, causing landfills to grow at a faster rate than necessary.

Local Jobs: This is a locally run collection service with an emphasis on employing young people at living wage standards and empowering them through democratic decision making and management.

Local Soil Fertility: We are currently bringing the waste we collect to a large-scale composting facility in Shakopee. In the near future we plan to process the compost locally to make it available to local farmers, landscapers and gardeners.

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