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Composting of Food Scraps at the Orange Transfer Station & Recycling Center
It's easy. Food Scraps Are Now Being Collected at the Transfer Station
What you need to know:
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Residents may put food scraps in the four large bins between the hopper and the Goodwill trailer
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This will save the town $$ on trash disposal, while improving sustainability
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This is for drop-off only - NOT for taking compost material from bins
Put in the bins:
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Fruits, vegetables, peels, and pits
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Eggs and eggshells
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Dairy products
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Meat and poultry, including bones
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Seafood, including shells
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Coffee grounds and tea bags
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Baked goods
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Chips and snacks
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Rice and grains
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Pet food
DO NOT put in bins:
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Coffee pods and filters
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Plastic wrap
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Take out containers
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Plasticware
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Paper goods
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Metal or aluminum foil
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Jars or glass
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Pet waste
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Any product packaging
Composting is Easy, Safe and Saves Money
Keep household trash out of landfills while creating RICH, HOMEMADE SOIL for use in your garden. It takes less than 5 minutes per day!
It may seem ‘icky’ at first, but composting creates less messy garbage. Simply keep a sturdy metal or plastic container with a secure top next to the kitchen sink and add these items:
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Fruit and vegetable rinds, peels, pits, and scraps
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Coffee grinds and tea bags
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Eggshells (rinsed)
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Cardboard egg cartons, food boxes, TP/paper towel rolls torn into pieces
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Paper such as this flyer
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Do not compost: meat, bones, dairy products, fatty foods
Place it all in a pile in your backyard, somewhere easily accessible but not too close to the house, or use a composting bin. If using the pile method, cover it with grass clippings and/or leaves. Try to have about equal amounts of “green” (the scraps) and “brown” (the leaves and clippings). Occasionally turn with a shovel.
​Results and Benefits
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You’ll have plenty of nutrient-rich soil within a few months!
You won’t have to buy new soil for your gardening needs, saving money and trips to the garden center, while decreasing landfill waste from plastic bags.
Whether you pay for trash pick-up or go to the transfer station, there will be far less to dispose of.
FAQs
Q: Does a compost pile attract critters?
A: No. It’s rare, if ever. Keeping the pile covered with grass clippings and leaves helps.
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Q: Does composting create an odor or mess in the kitchen?
A: No! If the container is kept covered and emptied at least every 2-3 days, it will not create any odor, attract insects, or cause extra mess in the kitchen.
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Q: How soon will I have usable soil?
A: Within a few months! A compost pile started in early spring will yield soil by late summer.
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Q: When can I compost?
A: Composting may be done from spring through the ground freezing in late autumn, and quite possibly through winter depending on location of the bin/pile, and whether it’s a mild winter.
Full Press Release - Recycling Opportunities Just Expanded in Orange - This is Pretty Cool!
October 9, 2023, Orange, CT - Mitch Goldblatt, Chair of the Orange Recycling Committee, has announced that effective today, “Orange residents can now help reduce our municipal solid waste (MSW) by segregating their food scraps and depositing them at the Transfer Station and Recycling Center.”
In partnership with Country Disposal Services, 4 large green bins are now located at the top of the Transfer Station (between the Goodwill trailer and the hopper) for this collection. For those who compost at home, no action is required, but to help reduce our MSW and improve sustainability, residents are urged to bring food scraps that will be composted for agricultural uses by Country Disposal Services.
The Orange Recycling Committee with cooperation from the Board of Selectmen and Public Works Department has initiated this pilot program, which will not only reduce MSW tonnage being burned or buried, but will reduce town costs, as well. The cost of removal of the food scraps will be considerably less than the tipping fees currently being charged to the town for MSW removal.
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Residents may bring food scraps and food waste to the Transfer Station during regular hours. Such material may be dumped directly into the bins or by means of plastic bags (which will be open and disposed of after removal from the transfer station).
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(Items included and excluded listed above)
Signage to help direct residents is currently on order.
For updates, follow facebook.com/ORCinCT.
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