Composting
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Athens-Clarke County
Why Composting Is Accessible, but Not Widely Practiced
As spring gardening season begins in Athens-Clarke County, some residents are rethinking what happens to their food scraps. Food waste makes up a large portion of what ends up in landfills, where it breaks down without oxygen and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. While composting offers an alternative, it…
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In-Depth
How UGA Community Garden is Adapting to Climate Change
On an early fall evening in Athens, rows of fig trees and native crops bask in the sun at UGArden, the University of Georgia’s student-run community garden. But beneath this calm green canopy, there’s a growing unease among local gardeners. “It’s not normal anymore,” says UGArden executive board member, Owen…
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Environment
Athens Food Scrap Collection Helps Businesses Reduce Food Waste
Athens is home to a commercial composting facility that services many local businesses and residents. Local businesses can opt in to collecting food scraps in separate bins to be picked up by Athens-Clarke County. These materials are combined with leaf and limb waste to create compost to sell to residents…
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Athens-Clarke County
From Beans, to Brew, to Buyer: How 1000 Faces Makes a Sustainable Cup of Coffee
This week’s pour-over roast at 1000 Faces Coffee features a Red Caturra variety courtesy of La Familia Ortega-Gomez, a multi-generational family producer from San Agustin, Huila. 1000 Faces, who has been serving coffee in the Athens area since 2006, does not try to hide the origin of this Columbian-based brew…
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Athens-Clarke County
From kitchen to compost: new grant to expand commercial compost program in Athens
A new grant awarded to the Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division will expand the county’s commercial compost program potential capacity by providing funds to purchase a larger collection truck and other materials. The current collection system started around 2016. Businesses, nonprofits and other organizations in Athens can pay to have food…
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Athens-Clarke County
Spread of Sustainable Restaurants in Athens: How Composting Is Making Local Restaurants Greener
The last Maepole customer stands from their table and makes their way to a compost bin on the verge of overflow from the day’s diners. After another bustling dinner service, staff began their nightly routine of scrubbing down the kitchen, breaking down seating, sanitizing equipment and taking out the compost;…
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Athens-Clarke County
How Local Trash Disposal Affects Climate Change
Approximately 300 tons of material is disposed of in the Athens-Clarke County Landfill daily. The average dump truck holds 12 to 14 tons of waste, so approximately 23 dump truck loads of garbage are dumped into the 289-acre landfill per day. Yet, not all of it should be garbage. “About…
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Athens-Clarke County
Athens Takes ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ To New Level
If you assume your trash today gets collected and sent off to one of the “dumps” you see in cartoons, you’re sadly mistaken. Dumps haven’t existed since the 1970s; rather, the increasing amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Americans create gets sent to landfills where local governments like Athens are…
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UGA
Compost 101: How Composting Could Save Money and the Environment
Grady Newsource Reporter Tyler Linn takes a look into what composting is and how it could save the University of Georgia some money when they take out the trash. But even more importantly, the Warnell graduate students who are pushing for more composting awareness say that composting will help…