Community composting at Ancona

By |2022-10-20T07:08:36-06:00October 25th, 2021|Ancona Farm News|0 Comments

Ancona has been teaching students to compost for two decades. We accept compostable goods from the school building, from students’ homes, and from school neighbors. In a given year, we divert 2,000-3,000 gallons of organic waste from landfills.

If you’d like to participate, here’s a list of what we accept. And here’s an Edutopia blog about how composting fits into our curriculum.

What we compost 

  • Fruits and vegetables–please remove stickers, rubber bands, and ties
  • Tea and paper tea bags 
  • Coffee grounds and filters
  • Leaves
  • Grass clippings from treated lawns
  • Paper towels and kleenexes (as long they’re not greasy or doused in cleaning spray)
  • Shredded office paper (white paper only)
  • Cut flowers and potted plants 
  • Paperboard takeout containers (rinsed)
  • Brewing mash
  • Bread 
  • Nut hulls
  • Egg shells
  • Oyster and mussel shells
  • Pet waste and bedding from rabbits

What we do not compost

  • Seafood and meats
  • Dairy
  • Hair
  • Pet waste from dogs, cats, reptiles
  • Sawdust
  • Plastic tea bags
  • Pulled weeds or diseased plants
  • Pencil shavings–never, ever, ever!
  • Dental floss
  • Disposable cleaning wipes (they’re made of plastic)

Compostable goods can be left in the buckets outside the Kenwood garden gate, 4737 S. Kenwood.