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Compost Alex
The compost site at Four Mile Run Park Plaza.
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Compost Alex
The compost site at Four Mile Run Park Plaza under construction.
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Compost Alex
Food scraps to be put into the compost site at Four Mile Run Park Plaza.
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Compost Alex
Residents put food scraps into compost in Alexandria.
Compost Alex, a community organization dedicated to gathering a community around composting and making composting “the norm” in Alexandria, has opened a compost site at the Four Mile Run Park Plaza.
With a matching grant from the Parks and Recreation Commission and RCPA, the organization fundraised, volunteered and built a compost site, said Josh Etim, who leads Compost Alex and also works part-time for the City of Alexandria.
Compost Alex has hosted a series of community events over the past few years, supports the City’s composting program and helps run the composting site at Francis C. Hammond Middle School.
Compost Alex hosted a ribbon cutting last weekend at the Four Mile Run Farmers Market for its new compost processing site. An on-site collection program will be started this summer.
In addition to the collection site at Four Mile Run Park Plaza, the City of Alexandria has a free compost drop-off program for residents drop off their food waste at four local farmers markets: the Old Town Farmers Market, Del Ray Farmers Market, Four Mile Run Farmers Market and the West End Farmers Market.
Composting is the process of recycling organic material, such as leaves and food scraps, so it can turn into a rich soil for gardening. Composting helps keep food waste out of landfills and is good for the environment.
According to the EPA, "Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up about 30% of what we throw away, and should be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas."
The City is committed to a Waste Smart program, which includes composting food scraps and encouraging residents to compost.
To learn more, go to www.facebook.com/CompostAlex.
