A pilot program targeting food waste in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming was deemed successful by city officials, a report by the Jackson Hole News & Guide says. Seventy-three tons of food waste was diverted to a composting facility in West Yellowstone, Montana, between May and October.
The report says food waste makes up 40 percent of Grand Teton National Park’s total waste. The original goal of the pilot was to reach a 150-ton diversion rate, but Mari Allan Hanna, waste diversion and outreach manager at Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling, says in the report that the city learned throughout the process.
The pilot program, part of the Road to Zero Waste community commitment aiming to divert 60 percent of community waste from landfills by 2030, provided an option to test the logistics of a large-scale composting collection service, the report says. Hanna says Teton County may see a collection service in the next four years.
Before the program, Gran Teton’s food waste was trucked to a landfill in Bonneville County, Idaho, for $115 per ton. The compost that came from the program was used in mine reclamation and road projects in Yellowstone National Park.
Grand Teton was one of three national parks selected for the pilot program, the report says. The program was part of Subaru’s Zero Landfill Initiative, a partnership between Subaru, the National Park Service and the National Parks Conservation Association.
Restaurants, such as Signal Mountain Lodge and Grand Teton Lodge Co., used green composting bins to dispose of food scraps, such as potato peels, carrot tops, meat scraps and lettuce ends, as well as expired food and uneaten meals. Signal Mountain Lodge also composted coffee served at the front desk, expired food from the general store and food left behind by checked out guests. The lodge diverted more than 40 tons of food waste from landfill.
Trucks from Westbank Sanitation picked up the food waste from seven collect sites throughout the pilot. The report says the compost was put in bear-resistant carts and dumped into the facility with a rear-load dump truck. The rear-load truck allowed crews to clean the dumpsters easily, the report says.
The report says food waste makes up 40 percent of Grand Teton National Park’s total waste. The original goal of the pilot was to reach a 150-ton diversion rate, but Mari Allan Hanna, waste diversion and outreach manager at Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling, says in the report that the city learned throughout the process.
The pilot program, part of the Road to Zero Waste community commitment aiming to divert 60 percent of community waste from landfills by 2030, provided an option to test the logistics of a large-scale composting collection service, the report says. Hanna says Teton County may see a collection service in the next four years.
Before the program, Gran Teton’s food waste was trucked to a landfill in Bonneville County, Idaho, for $115 per ton. The compost that came from the program was used in mine reclamation and road projects in Yellowstone National Park.
Grand Teton was one of three national parks selected for the pilot program, the report says. The program was part of Subaru’s Zero Landfill Initiative, a partnership between Subaru, the National Park Service and the National Parks Conservation Association.
Restaurants, such as Signal Mountain Lodge and Grand Teton Lodge Co., used green composting bins to dispose of food scraps, such as potato peels, carrot tops, meat scraps and lettuce ends, as well as expired food and uneaten meals. Signal Mountain Lodge also composted coffee served at the front desk, expired food from the general store and food left behind by checked out guests. The lodge diverted more than 40 tons of food waste from landfill.
Trucks from Westbank Sanitation picked up the food waste from seven collect sites throughout the pilot. The report says the compost was put in bear-resistant carts and dumped into the facility with a rear-load dump truck. The rear-load truck allowed crews to clean the dumpsters easily, the report says.
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