Food: the final fontier

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Branching Into Business

Who: City of Modesto, Calif., Parks, Recreation & Neighborhoods Department
What: Commercial Food and Organic Waste Recycling Program (FORK)
EPA grant: $49,850
City match: $44,050

Modesto's 50-acre composting facility is the linchpin of its Food and Organic Waste Recycling Program (FORK) and one reason the city consistently beats its annual landfill-diversion mandate of 4.7 pounds per capita. It takes four to six months to process organic material into a nutrient-rich soil amendment for farmers, contractors, and the general public to use.

What's compostable:

  • All food scraps
  • Kitchen trimmings
  • Plate scrapings
  • Coffee grounds
  • Filters and tea bags
  • Meat, bones, fish
  • Dairy products
  • Baked goods
  • Paper products: cups, plates, towels, place mats, milk cartons
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Wood crates
  • Yard trimmings
  • Floral clippings

What's NOT compostable

  • Styrofoam
  • Glass
  • Plastic
  • Metal
  • Liquids
  • Ice
  • Grease
  • Beverage syrup containers
  • Cardboard lined with foil or plastic
  • Other nonbiodegradable items
Karin Rodriguez