Whether you live in the Malone area year round, or you’re just visiting for the week, we’ve made it easy to compost your food scraps.

Each year in America, approximately 218.9 pounds of food waste are generated per person. Much of this waste ends up in landfills, where it produces methane as it decomposes because it cannot break down aerobically as it would in nature. Composting of food waste eliminates methane emissions and allows the valuable nutrients contained in the food to be captured and utilized in future food production. Application of compost can improve soil structure, enhancing biodiversity and reducing or eliminating the need for chemical fertilizer use. For more information about food waste, visit the USDA’s Food Waste FAQs.

We have been accepting food waste from our community since 2022. We collect the food scraps in the bin to the right of our farmstand. Each night, we empty the bin into our compost bunk, where the scraps are mixed with manure and bedding from our livestock. We monitor the temperature and physical qualities of the mixture closely for the first two months, and then move the compost to another location on the farm to cure for the next year or so. We utilize the finished compost to fertilize our garden and fields.

There is no cost to participate in our community composting program. We want composting services to be accessible to everyone! All we ask is that participants be mindful of what they are putting into our bin.

We accept all kinds of food waste. If you can eat it, we can compost it! This includes:

  • Fruits, vegetables, and peels
  • Nuts
  • Bread, rice, and pasta
  • Eggs and egg shells
  • Dairy products
  • Meat, seafood, and bones
  • Cooking oil

We also accept some non-food items:

  • Brown paper bags
  • Coffee filters
  • BPI certified compostable plates, cups, and utensils

We do not accept:

  • Produce stickers
  • Tea bags (many are made of nylon or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which are not biodegradable and may release harmful chemicals into the compost)
  • Milk cartons
  • Pet waste (including compostable kitty litter)
  • Cigarette butts
  • Storebought flowers (many have been sprayed with dangerous pesticides that can persist even through the composting process)
  • Compostable plates, cups, and utensils (unless they come from a BPI certified manufacturer; there are a lot of look-alike products on the market that are not truly biodegradable)

If you are interested in participating in our community composting program, check out our What Can I Compost? and Food Scrap Storage Tips PDFs.