Businesses Compost Campaign

The City of Snoqualmie is teaming up with Waste Management to launch a Businesses Compost campaign, providing outreach and support services to local businesses.

In King County, 30% of the trash businesses throw away is composed of food scraps and food-soiled paper, according to the 2019 King County Solid Waste Plan – material that could instead be converted into healthy soils.

Some Snoqualmie businesses, such as Heirloom Cookshop and Down to Earth Flowers & Gifts, already compost. With the new outreach campaign, two additional businesses have already enrolled – Sigillo Cellars (below) and Snoqualmie Falls Candy Shoppe (right).

Businesses that enroll before the end of the year receive limited-time resources, including: free indoor and table-top collection bins; free starter compost bags; and staff training and guidance on compostable serviceware such as compostable to-go boxes, straws, and disposable forks.

Composting facilities act quickly, turning food, napkins, and paper towels into a nutrient-rich soil amendment in just 90 days that can be used as a sustainable alternative to fertilizer. Compost acts like a sponge when watering plants, reducing runoff and saving water needed to grow plants on local farms and gardens. 

In comparison, food waste in landfills breaks down at a snail’s pace. The image below shows shows carrots that are still nearly intact despite being in a landfill for ten years.

Composting also provides environmental benefits, such as keeping food products out of landfills, reducing climate emissions, and ensuring our drinking water stays clean.

There are many great reasons to compost, and the City and Waste Management are happy to see that local businesses are signing up. Ask your local business if they are composting today!

For more information or to sign up, please contact Senior Planner Nicole Sanders at nsanders@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us.