At Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD), composting isn’t just something we encourage the community to do, it’s a part of many of our employees’ everyday routines. From countertop food scrap bins and backyard compost piles to curbside pickup services and creative ways to reduce food waste, CSWD staff each have their own approach to keeping food scraps out of the trash. In honor of springtime and six years of composting being mandatory in Vermont, we asked employees to share how they compost at home, what systems work best for them, and a few tips they’ve picked up along the way. Whether you’re a longtime composter or just getting started, their ideas might inspire your own setup.
Brian Mital – Associate Director of Operations
Living situation:
House
How long have you been composting for?
Since May 2022, when I started at CSWD
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Self-haul
How do you collect your food scraps?
We have a counter top collection container and when it’s full we put it in a CSWD green food scraps pail.
What is your best compost tip?
A used paper towel (with no chemicals on it) at the bottom of your bin, so the food scraps come out easier.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
Eliminating an additional trip to a CSWD Drop-Off Center due to a terrible smelling garbage bag. Garbage smells good now, relatively speaking.
Amy Jewell – Director of Administration
Living situation:
Condo
How long have you been composting for?
All my life. I grew up on a farm, so food scraps went out the compost pile. And then my family purchased one of CSWD’s first soil savers in the 90’s.
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Bring a bag to CSWD’s Organics Recycling Facility (ORF) once a month.
How do you collect your food scraps?
In a paper bag in my freezer
What is your best compost tip?
I am really intentional about buying only what I need so that I’ll have less food scraps to compost.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
One year ago, I did absolutely nothing with our food scraps, just kept dumping into our soil saver. I might have had a bit of guilt over it, but was pleasantly surprised that I still had compost ready for my garden. It was too easy!
Jeannine McCrumb – Compliance Specialist
Living situation:
Apartment in apartment building
How long have you been composting for?
About 7 years
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Compost hauler
How do you collect your food scraps?
In a plastic container in my refrigerator.
What is your best compost tip?
Just do it. It really cuts down or eliminates trash odor from small spaces. Also by using a reusable plastic container, no bag is needed. Just a quick rinse and occasional wash after emptying.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
One challenge is that I see a lot of plastic bags in compost bins when working at CSWD Drop-Off Centers.
Rhonda Mace – School Outreach Coordinator
Living situation:
Apartment in apartment complex
How long have you been composting for?
30 years +
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Fruit and veggies with worms indoors, remaining food scraps in backyard demo site at CSWD’s Organics Recycling Facility (ORF).
How do you collect your food scraps?
In 1-gallon buckets in fridge, coffee grounds under sink in reused sour cream container
What is your best compost tip?
Give composting with worms (or vermicomposting) a try! You can compost fruit and veggie leftovers with worms; it’s fast, easy, odorless, and can be done year-round.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
My biggest compost win is harvesting over 100 pounds of worm compost, annually, for use in my garden and getting lots of volunteer veggie plants I didn’t plant.
One of my biggest challenges is convincing folks that composting is awesome.
Gabby Stevens – Business Outreach Coordinator
Living situation:
Apartment in apartment building
How long have you been composting for?
Since I moved to Vermont in 2023.
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Compost hauler
How do you collect your food scraps?
I keep my scraps in a metal bin in the fridge. Recently, I started lining it with used paper towels, paper bag scraps, or newspaper. Game changer! It is super cheap and keeps food from sticking to the sides, so dumping and cleaning bin is always easy.
What is your best compost tip?
Try storing your food scraps in the fridge or freezer. Keeping them cold keeps fruit flies away in the summer and means fewer trips out to the bin in the winter.
Bonus tip: Plastic can hold on to food stains and smells. If you cook with a lot of onions or garlic, try collecting your scraps in a container made from metal or glass. It will be much easier to clean and looks a lot nicer.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
My parents now compost their food scraps whenever they visit.
Joey Catania – Compliance, Outreach & Safety Manager
Living situation:
House
How long have you been composting for?
Since I moved to Vermont, 8 years ago.
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
When my 4 gallon bucket is full, I take it to CSWD’s Drop-Off Center in Burlington.
How do you collect your food scraps?
Countertop food scrap bin. Then when that’s full, I empty the countertop container into a 4 gallon bucket stored on my porch.
What is your best compost tip?
Buy a countertop container that you don’t mind keeping out. That way, you’re always reminded to divert your food scraps before going to the trash. I also always take a scoop of mulch and place it in my 4-gallon bucket after I empty it at the DOC. That way, there’s a layer of carbon for my food scraps to mix with. It cuts down on the smell and liquids in the bucket!
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
My biggest win has been finding a countertop container that looks good in my kitchen and never smells!
Jess Sankey – Administration Assistant
Living situation:
House in an densely populated neighborhood
How long have you been composting for?
Since I started cooking for myself and my family- 27 years now of food scrap recovery!
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Self-haul
How do you collect your food scraps?
In a kitchen food scrap container next to the sink.
What is your best compost tip?
Line your container or bucket with old newspaper or a paper bag so the mess is minimal when emptying. This saves time when rinsing and reusing the container.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
My biggest win is keeping the smell of our household trash to a minimum and maximizing the use of those 18 gallon kitchen garbage bags.
Dan Goossen – Director of Organics Recycling
Living situation:
House
How long have you been composting for?
All my life
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Backyard
How do you collect your food scraps?
In two kitchen containers on our countertop – one for feeding our chickens, and one for anything they won’t eat (onions, peels, bones, etc.)
What is your best compost tip?
Using a Jora tumbler for your fresh food scraps. If you have space, you can use a Jora for an extended composting season in our cold climates. We then transfer the mostly composted output to an adjacent bin built out of pallets where we also throw in occasional landscaping/gardening-type trimmings or other organic matter that isn’t attractive to rodents.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
Wintertime composting is my biggest challenge. I end up running out of room in my Jora tumbler and end up bringing some loads to Green Mountain Compost before the winter is up.
Kat Moody – Community Outreach Coordinator
Living situation:
Apartment in apartment building
How long have you been composting for?
All my life! My family had a backyard compost when I was a kid, so I grew up composting.
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Compost hauler
How do you collect your food scraps?
In a paper bag in my freezer.
What is your best compost tip?
Take produce stickers off as you are unloading your groceries! That way they don’t sneak their way into the compost by accident.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
My biggest win is getting my friend to start composting!
Biggest challenge is knowing that almost 20% of what is thrown away in Vermont’s landfill each year is food waste.
Jen Holliday – Director of Public Policy & Communications
Living situation:
House with backyard
How long have you been composting for?
Most of my adult life.
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Backyard compost using a Soil Saver
How do you collect your food scraps?
I have a two-gallon container on the floor next to my kitchen counter with a foot pedal to open it.
What is your best compost tip?
Save your raked leaves in the fall to use during the year to put at the bottom of your compost pail to help keep it clean. I keep my leaves contained in a chicken wire circle next to my composter.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
My trash isn’t gross and my garden flourishes!
Ben Powden – Hazardous Waste Operator/Latex Paint Specialist
Living situation:
Single Family Home
How long have you been composting for?
Fairly recently in the past few years.
Compost approach (hauler, backyard, self-haul):
Backyard
How do you collect your food scraps?
I put them in my freezer
What is your best compost tip?
I would say try to consume as much of your food as you can so it does not go to waste.
Biggest compost win and/or challenge?
My biggest win was when I started putting food scraps in the freezer so they did not stink up my kitchen/house.