Readfield launches new food recycling program Saturday
The town’s new program was made possible with help from The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and one of their partially funded programs Food Rescue Maine.
READING, Maine (WABI) - Did you know more than 30 percent of the food produced in the United States is never eaten?
The town of Readfield understands the seriousness of that statistic and launched a new food recycling program on Saturday to combat that issue.
“For over 25 years the department has been trying to move food scraps away from disposal, and one of the projects that is doing that really well, is the Readfield, Fayetteville, Wayne transfer station compost operation,” said Mark King, Organics Management Specialist for the Maine DEP.
The town’s new program was made possible with help from The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and one of their partially funded programs Food Rescue Maine.
Residents of Readfield, Fayette, and Wayne can take part in recycling their food waste by using a compost container provided by the project.
All they have to do is bring the container to the town transfer station, where it will be emptied into the new metal compost container.
“When that container is full, it’ll then be taken across the street to the compost site where it will be incorporated into the compost pile,” said King.
For folks who want to do all of their recycling and composting from home, Brooks Trap Mill in Thomaston has made it possible.
The lobster trap maker donated large compost contraptions to the town for the project.
“They can create a compost they can use right in their home garden, so it’s a really awesome setup,” said King.
Maine State Senator Craig Hickman was on hand for the event and spoke to those in attendance before cutting the ribbon on the metal compost bin.
Hickman has been an advocate for reducing food waste for years and was a part of a bill passed in 2018 that would help communities like Readfield do so.
“When I realized that this event that I was invited to speak at was actually a result of the work that we had done on LD-1534, it warmed my heart, so it’s nice to have Readfield and this transfer station be the first in my district to implement this community composting project,” said State Senator of District 14 Craig Hickman.
Senator Hickman hopes the new community food recycling initiative inspires other Maine towns to follow in Readfield’s footsteps.
“Let’s feed people, and let’s make sure we don’t waste the food so we can feed the soil, with something by that will turn again into something we can grow food from,” said Hickman.
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