Clark County Green Business wants to help food service businesses reduce food waste! We invite local restaurants and coffee shops to join the new We Compost pilot program. By participating in this one-year pilot, your business will help divert food scraps from the landfill and will save money on waste collection services.
Washington State Department of Ecology’s Use Food Well plan has rolled out a state led strategy to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030! Strategies for food waste reduction centers around prevention, rescue and recovery efforts. Learn how you can get involved today!
Learn about the We Compost program
The We Compost pilot program will cover all costs for curbside food waste collection for six months. For the next six months, your business will qualify for a 50% rate reduction
Pilot participation benefits:
- Waste services savings – Clark County Green Business will pay for six months of curbside composting collection in full and will pay for 50% of curbside collection costs for an additional six months
- Food waste savings by prevention and tracking
- Employee training
- Food waste recovery training resources
Pilot participation requirements:
- Clark County coffee shops and restaurants offering on-site dining
- Compliant with Washington State Retail Food Code and must have at least one year of inspections without re-inspection
Clark County Green Business will provide you and your staff with the training, resources and education to start sorting waste and composting food scraps.
Through your participation in this pilot program your restaurant will reduce landfill waste and can save money on your waste services. Feedback and data from your participation (through waste audits and waste tracking) throughout the program will also help the Clark County Green Business program better understand how to serve Clark County businesses in the future.
Participation in this pilot program is limited to Clark County coffee shops and restaurants offering on-site dining and available as funding allows. Your business will still be financially responsible for other waste services (garbage and recycling).
Learn more and join today!
Sign up for the We Compost pilot program
Step One: Sign up for the Program
Sign up today to get started with the program!
Step two: Designate your containers
Make the process of separating food scraps from garbage and recycling simple and efficient by setting up disposal areas with clearly labeled containers. Waste Connections will pick up the food waste from a cart that you place alongside your recycling and garbage containers on the exterior of your building. Clark County Green Business provides food waste collection items including buckets, countertop bins, posters and decals.
Step three: Educate staff
Contaminating food scraps with non-food materials can be a big problem, so it is important that all employees know what is acceptable to throw in the container for food scraps. In Clark County, only food trimmings are accepted, and Waste Connections will provide trainings and signage to help with the learning process. In general, “if it grows, it goes,” and “when in doubt, leave it out!”
Which Clark County businesses compost?
Business leaders in Clark County are changing the way they think about waste and are separating food scraps from landfill waste so it can be transformed into compost.
These businesses are preventing waste from going to the landfill by collecting food scraps for compost.
