MOUNT VERNON — A pilot program set to launch later this month will allow households to make good use of their food scraps.

Community Roots, based at 1104 W. Gambier St., will expand its composting services to include free curbside compost to 10 households in the west end of Mount Vernon. Individuals interested in participating can click this link to register.

The program launches March 29 and runs through August.

“For the pilot program, we’re focused on participants from the downtown-adjacent neighborhoods south of High Street and west of Main Street,” Program Coordinator Emily Bruch said. “These boundaries will help us manage pickup timelines effectively.”

Each household receives a five-gallon bucket with a tight-sealing lid and compostable liners. Community Roots volunteers will swap out the liners weekly.

“Participants can put food scraps like fruit and veggie peels and other organic waste like paper towels into the bucket. The bucket will feature a wrap-around sticker with graphics and information, including a brief list of what we do and don’t accept,” Bruch said.

A QR code on the sticker links to a more comprehensive list on the organization’s website. 

Participants will place their buckets curbside for Saturday-morning pickups, retrieve them afterward, and keep them clean, similar to standard trash or recycling services.

The organization will purchase supplies for the pilot program using a $5,000 grant from the Knox County Foundation.

“Additionally, a portion of the funds is allocated to creating the beginning of a gravel drive from our current drive leading up to the compost area, improving safety and accessibility for community drop-offs,” Bruch said.

“The remainder will cover miscellaneous supplies like shifters to help manage the compost.”

Supporting a healthy local food system

The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in 2019, the residential, food service, and food retail sectors generated 66 million tons of wasted food.

Most of the waste, 60%, went to landfills.

The Ohio EPA reports that a typical household throws away about 474 pounds of food waste annually.

Greenhouse Manager Kim Fry said Community Roots has researched a compost service model for several years as part of its mission to steward natural resources and support a healthy local food system.

“When we started picking up the compostable waste from the Happy Bean Cafe downtown, people started to notice us and asked if we provided residential services. So it has always been on our minds to find a way to do it,” Frye explained.

Community Roots member Quentin Platt came up with the idea after a similar pilot program in Bexley inspired him.

Forty percent of Bexley residents participate in its curbside compost program, which has recycled more than 1.5 million pounds of material since its inception.

Bruch said volunteers will transport the compost to Community Roots’ site on West Gambier Street. A new compost bay is in the works specifically for the pilot program so the organization can track participation and the volume of compost generated.

“We’re collaborating with Matt Baugher and Knox County Recycling and Litter Prevention, as well as Quentin Platt and the City of Mount Vernon, with funding from the Knox County Foundation, to bring this pilot program to the community,” Bruch said.

“We’re very excited to make composting more accessible to the community.”

Other communities’ experience with curbside compost

According to CompostNow, hundreds of communities nationwide offer curbside composting to reduce and repurpose food scrap waste. Some programs are free; in others, residents pay a fee.

Lexington, Massachusetts, offers free curbside composting to 4,000 households. The non-profit Apple Rabbit Compost provides food scrap pickup in Gainesville, Florida, and a Virginia couple uses household food scraps to create gas to power their stove.

The University of Georgia (UAG) started a campus compost program in 2014. Volunteers initially picked up the waste in cars and vans.

In 2019, the program switched to two electric-powered bicycles as its main transportation for pickup.

As of spring 2025, the program had 70 campus locations and 117 compost bins. In two semesters, it kept 9,400 pounds of organic waste out of the landfill.

A June 2024 article in Grady Newsource reported that although the UAG program is reaping dividends, it has drawbacks.

To be labeled compostable, items must be certified through the Biodegradable Products Institute.

According to UAG intern Emme McCumiskey, consumers place noncompostable products in the bins because they are falsely labeled.

Other challenges facing curbside composting programs include odors, unwanted pests, and other wildlife.

More than just a food scraps service

Volunteers will use an electric assist bicycle/quad (EAQ) for pickups in good weather. The four-wheeled bicycle pulls a wagon carrying a larger container to transport the liner bags.

Frye said the EAQ came about as a tool for compost pickup through Community Roots’ work with a countywide consortium of local agencies called Knox Opioid Response & Recovery (KORR).

The consortium received two grants dealing with addiction recovery from opioids and psychostimulants.

“Community Root’s role is working with probationers through the local courts who are working off assigned community service hours,” Frye explained.

“Through our grant objective to improve access to evidence-based therapies, the EAQ is used to support recovery through combining two of the most successful therapies: exercise and community reinforcement.”

Research shows exercise helps with stubborn, long-term addictive effects on the brain of stimulant use.

“However, we always need to balance the cardiovascular damage psychostimulant use can leave in its wake,” Frye said. “The electric assist bike allows the rider to manually pedal up to a certain weight load, after which the electric assist kicks in to prevent overstraining the cardiovascular system while building up strength.”

Regarding community reinforcement, Frye said going into places like Happy Bean is “glamorous.”

“It’s a highly visible chore performed downtown during business hours. People in the cafe notice and share supportive accolades in the moment,” she said.

“This provides a community champion role opportunity for probationers, reinforcing the benefits of abstaining from substance use.

“Research has shown Community Reinforcement to be one of the most effective treatment components for psychostimulant recovery,” she added.

Volunteers who collect from Happy Bean get a 50% discount coupon on purchases.

Health benefits

Studies have shown that increasing time with nature can:

• Lower blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels
• Reduce rates of aggression
• Lower incidence of mental health issues
• Lower incivilities (vandalism, foul language use, etc.)

“This pilot program will be an additional service opportunity we can offer volunteers working on assigned community service hours offering access to both of these recovery strategies, which get an additional boost in benefits because the work involves being outdoors,” Frye said.

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Metrics for success of curbside compost

Bruch said Community Roots’ metrics for success include participation rates and the volume of compost collected throughout the project.

Other metrics include:

• Retention rate: how many participants continue using the program throughout the pilot period
• Operational efficiency: how well the pick-up process works – timing, ease of transportation, and any logistical challenges 
• Community engagement: feedback from participants through surveys or informal conversations 
• Scalability potential: interest from other community members who want to participate and potential expansion opportunities 

by Cheryl Splain March 16, 2025