Around 95 businesses in Clark County are separating their food waste to be composted at the commercial level. Do you know where your food scraps go?

First, the contents of your food waste cart are taken by a Waste Connections truck that only handles food waste. This food waste truck travels all throughout Clark County to different businesses that are part of the composting program, and hauls all the food waste to the West Vancouver Materials Recovery Facility.

The West Vancouver Materials Recovery Facility, also known as the West Van MRF, is an area where recycling and food waste get taken to be sorted. Food waste is collected at this facility and sectioned off until it is ready to be transported. During this time workers look for any contaminants that might be in the food waste, such as paper products, plastic, and metal. From the West Van MRF, it is transported to Dallesport, WA.

In Dallesport, WA a businesses named Dirt Hugger takes these food scraps and turns them into compost, a rich soil amendment that helps with a soil's permeability, water retention, drainage, and aeration. For a step by step overview of the composting process visit Dirt Hugger's website.

By diverting food waste away from a landfill and to Dirt Hugger, you are taking a more sustainable step for the community. If left in the landfill, food waste will release methane gas, which is 30 times more potent than CO2 and adversely affects our atmosphere.

Visit the Green Business Toolkit or contact us at info@clarkgreenbiz.com to learn more about starting a food waste collection program.