The new bin at Redden Gardens where residents can drop off their food scraps and waste.

COVINGTON, Ky. – Covington Solid Waste & Recycling officials are touting a program where residents can drop off food scraps and waste to be composted rather than dumped into their City trash cans.

The bin – set up by compost advocate Queen City Commons – accepts everything from potato peels to apple cores to eggshells to carrot tops to moldy bread. It even accepts certain food-related paper waste, such as napkins, paper towels, and paper coffee filters.

The program gives households another way to reduce their environmental “footprint” by taking up less space in landfills, said Sheila Fields, the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling manager.

“Right now, we have some 9,000 families in Covington who recycle things like cardboard and soup cans, but we hear all the time from people who want to do more,” she said. “This is a great option.”

The bin is set up at Redden Gardens, a community garden at 909 Scott Blvd., and residents who sign up for the service at Cincinnati Compost Service – Queen City Commons can visit 24/7.

There’s a nominal monthly fee that adjusts on a sliding scale depending on a family’s financial circumstances. After you sign up, you’ll get an automated email on how to access the bin, where it’s located, the combination to the lock, etc. The fee also gets you a new, 5-gallon bucket with a lid in which to collect and transport your food waste.

The food scraps are hauled away by Queen City Commons to be turned into soil compost.

Fields said the City is helping Queen City spread the word and build a subscription list. Officials are closely watching the program to gauge its interest.

“In many ways this is a pilot project,” she said. “If there’s enough participation, we could make the case for a greatly expanded program that includes curbside service. Ultimately, Covington wants to do a better job of reducing its collective impact on the water, air, and the earth.”

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