Community composting at Ancona
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.