Fairfax County farmers markets collect food waste for composting
The Fairfax County’s composting program has been so successful, the Park Authority hopes to recycle four tons – 8,000 pounds – during the month of June.
Residents can bring food waste to all 10 of the county’s farmers markets, including the ones at Mason District Park and Wakefield Park in Annandale.
Anyone who drops off their food scraps by July 1 will receive a free bag of compost. The Park Authority has contracted with Veteran Compost and Future Acres Urban Farming to assist with the food waste collection.
The farmers market compost stations do not accept yard waste, only food scraps, such as vegetable trimmings, potato peels, egg shells, meat, bones, and coffee grounds. You can use any type of container but if you bring it in a plastic bag, you will have to take the bag with you.
Related story: Farmers markets open in early May
The Annandale Farmers Market, in Mason District Park at 6621 Columbia Pike, is open on Thursdays, 8 a.m.-noon.
The Wakefield Market, next to the Audrey Moore Rec Center at 8100 Braddock Road, is open on Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m.
Dropping your food waste at a farmers market will keep it out of a landfill. Compost can be used to create richer, more nutrient-dense soil for gardens and landscaping.
In May, customers brought 7,400 pounds of food waste – 3.7 tons – to the market drop-off sites for composting. The program started in 2022 as a pilot program and has expanded to all markets this year.
I drop mine at the Sunday Farmers Market at Mosaic. I hope they will be handing out a bag of free compost there, too.
Food waste is a huge problem, especially in the U.S. This is a great program that helps grow crops & keeps the waste out of our landfills. I toss food scraps in my disposal hoping Ffx. Co. Water & Sewer filters out solids for fertilizer, but this is more direct.