BEND, OR -- Bend Garbage & Recycling and Cascade Disposal customers who participate in the yard debris program, will be able to also recycle all food waste, curbside, starting next month. President Brad Bailey says they already take fruit and vegetable products; this program expands on that, "It’s really allowed customers to do virtually all their food waste, now. So, the pilot program we’re starting would include all food waste – meat, dairy, cheeses – the other part of the food that wasn’t included with the vegetative waste. We would take that material, collect it and compost it." 

Bailey tells KBND News the pilot program will roll out on a limited basis, at first, "To about 600 customers, in both Cascade Disposal and Bend Garbage’s service areas, as a start. To help facilitate it, we’re providing a kitchen pail to the residents – it’s a two-gallon pail they can put the material in and transport that out to their yard debris cart." Those buckets will be delivered to eligible customers the week of November fifth. Bailey says once a household receives the pail, they can start putting meat, dairy and bakery items in with their yard debris and "vegetative waste" at no extra cost. 

Customers are not allowed to include cooking grease or non-organic material, "Plastic bags, produce bags, produce stickers, food ware, pet waste, other garbage – all that needs to be kept out of this," says Bailey, "So, it’s just purely food waste or yard debris. That’ll help keep the material clean and keep the contamination out of the final product, the compost that’s made from this." That compost is made at Deschutes Recycling.

Bailey says the program will be tested over the next several months in Bend, and re-evaluated next spring. He's hopeful they'll be able to allow High Country Disposal customers to participate, later in 2019.