LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT BAG? DOWNLOAD THIS APPROVED LIST AND LOOK FOR THESE BRAND NAMES. ALL ARE AVAILABLE AT ONLINE RETAILERS.

A MESSAGE FROM A1 ORGANICS, COLORADO'S LEADING ORGANICS RECYCLER

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2/27/2023  

Effective April 1, 2023, accepted materials in residential and commercial compost collection will be limited to:

• ONLY food scraps

• ONLY yard / plant trimmings

• ONLY 3 gallon certified (CMA Approved) compostables bags used to collect food scraps

 

Why are we eliminating compostable packaging and other paper materials from the food scraps and yard trimmings we compost?

Every year, 90% of the material A1 Organics recycles, represents hundreds of thousands of tons of high-quality compost product, which is uncontaminated and used as a natural nutrient-rich amendment by farmers, nurseries, landscaping businesses, and home gardens. The quality compost products that we create develop healthier and more resilient soil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, recycle nutrients, conserve water, and reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers.

As the demand for quality compost increases and more communities understand the value of keeping organic materials out of our landfills, compost manufacturers are making changes throughout the country, including A1 Organics, to address contamination in the residential and commercial organics recycling streams.

Compost haulers and municipalities all along the Colorado Front Range are working with A1 Organics to create a high-quality compost product free from trash. Our goal is to keep food scraps and yard trimmings out of the landfill to prevent harmful methane emissions while creating a valuable soil amendment that will help Colorado farms and landscapes build healthy soils that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, reduce water and chemical use, and grow nutritious foods.

A1 Organics continues to make high-quality compost with the 90% of material which is not impacted by food related packaging or contamination. The finished compost offered for sale meets our high standards for quality and consistency. Nevertheless, as food scrap collection increases, a growing percentage (currently at 10%) of material coming to A1 Organics is too contaminated to process effectively and meet the quality standards for finished compost. A1 Organics is reducing the accepted material list as the first step in eliminating contamination.

Here are the reasons we will NO LONGER accept compostable packaging and service ware as well as non-traditional compostables (paper towels, napkins, shredded paper, greasy pizza boxes, etc.):

1. Contamination challenge: Currently when residential and commercial collection programs accept compostable products, non-compostable look-alike items inevitably end up in the mix. It takes time and labor to remove this material. If not removed, the plastic, glass, and non-organic material make it impossible to create a high-quality finished product. A1 believes contamination must be removed at the beginning, not at the end. Contamination significantly increases our operating costs, which makes the compost industry less economically viable.

2. Contamination impacts resale quality: A1 Organics recognizes that their customers will not purchase a product which is contaminated with fragments of packaging, service ware, plastics, and small pieces of glass. Therefore, loads with these contaminants are not utilized as finished compost and this negates the environmental benefits of collecting organics separately from the trash.

3. Accepting these materials results in disposal of a significant number of high-quality organics: When contamination is present in a mixed load, it requires us to reject the entire load. The result is a large volume of quality organics going to disposal because a small volume of contamination, which cannot currently be removed, is present in the load.

4. In some cases, the benefits of recycling clean paper products surpass those of composting: Some items, like paper bags and clean corrugated cardboard, can be either composted or recycled. Generally speaking, the recycling of materials back into new products or packaging can provide greater overall environmental benefits than composting does. PLEASE NOTE: Compostable packaging CANNOT be placed in the single use recycling stream.

5. Compostables have their place: Separating them from the mixed stream will allow effective processing or treatment alternatives. Compostable packaging and food service ware were created to assist in the diversion of food waste and as a replacement for single-use plastic. While a single-use compostable bag for containing only food can be effective, creating infrastructure to separate compostables from the organics stream before the composting process is a solution. Doing so will allow the effective processing of both existing and future compostables. Having a separate process for treating compostable products apart from food scraps and yard / plant trimmings will allow those products to stay out of the landfill and realize the environmental benefits they offer.

Contamination is the number one challenge our industry faces in the residential and commercial organics recycling streams. A1 Organics believes a paradigm shift is needed in the collection and processing of these organics to move Colorado in the right direction towards achieving increased organics diversion and clean finished compost. We need adequate policy, infrastructure, and educational systems in place to identify, sort, and treat compostable products and packaging. As we continue to work on these solutions as a community, simplifying what we accept supports our goal to keep food scraps and yard & plant trimmings out of the landfill to prevent harmful methane emissions while creating marketable compost. This soil amendment will help Colorado farms and landscapes build healthy soils that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, reduce water and chemical use, and grow nutritious foods.

 

Please help us protect the environment and create high quality compost by keeping the organics recycling stream clean. #keepthestreamclean

 

Thank you,

A1 Organics

Contact: Clinton Sander

Marketing Manager

clintonsander@a1organics.com

In partnership with our friends at ECOCYCLE, they have put together a list of FAQ's, updated guidelines, and a toolkit for compost bins.

Contamination

COLORADO LET'S ELIMINATE CONTAMINATION IN THE ORGANICS STREAM

WE MUST ELIMINATE CONTAMINATION IN THE ORGANICS RECYCLING STREAM

In order for organics recycling programs to be sustainable, the compost manufacturers that turn organics into compost must receive organics without contamination and/or non-compostable materials.

Eliminating Contamination Ensures The Viability of Organics Recycling Programs

Organic materials collected at businesses, schools, multifamily properties, homes, and drop-off sites are delivered to A1 Organic’s commercial composting facility. There, the materials are mixed with yard waste and processed to become compost, a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Compost is sold for use in landscaping, road construction, garden projects, and many other soil restoration projects.

Receiving organics free of contamination allows local compost manufacturers to consistently produce clean, nutrient-rich compost that people want to purchase and use.

Finished Compost that contains plastic, glass, and other contaminants is very difficult or impossible to sell.

A1OG - Contamination Overview 2022 final
banana trash

What Contributes To Contamination

Contamination happens more frequently in the following situations:

Collecting organics in front-of-house areas. A1 Organics discourages front-of-house collection of organics.  Customers and the general public often find it confusing or don’t take the time to properly sort food and non-recyclable packaging.

Items are available that are not compostable or reusable in employee common areas. For example, items like plastic utensils, individual creamers, and individual ketchup packets in break rooms.

Enthusiasm and involvement from champions and leaders fade after the program launch. Without continual support, the quality of an organics program can slip.

Training and reminders are infrequent. When employees are not aware of their recycling options or are not motivated to care about sorting their food scraps, it can cause these materials  to be sorted improperly.

What you can do to eliminate contanimation

Take a MULTILEVEL Approach

Simplify your waste stream

Simplify your waste stream. For in-house dining, it is best to use reusable dishes, cups, and utensils. If you are using approved compostable products (currently not allowed in A1 Organics streams), make sure that all of your serving containers, dishes, utensils, cups, and containers are CMA Approved certified compostable.

Assess all items available

Assess all of the items in common areas and break rooms for staff and make sure they are reusable or compostable. As much as possible, eliminate things like non-compostable plastic utensils, plastic straws, stir sticks, packaged condiments, and individual coffee creamers. Offer things like cream and sugar in bulk or in refillable containers.

Simplify what or where you collect it

If you continue to notice contamination issues, consider simplifying what you collect or where you collect it. Food is the most valuable material to collect for organics recycling, so you could switch to collecting food waste only in situations where you have contamination issues. You could also stop collecting organics in challenging areas, like public facing areas.

Make sorting & regular training mandatory

Make regular training on waste sorting mandatory. Offer regular training to cleaning and janitorial staff on how to properly sort waste and use the correct dumpster or compactor for each waste stream. Offer training when on boarding new staff, and require current staff to be trained twice per year.

Place clearly labeled bins together

Place bins for recycling, trash, and organics recycling seperate. Make sure bins are labeled, that labels are placed properly so they are visible to the users, with additional signage hung on the walls. Proud staff to do the sorting for your customers.

Control access to organics containers

Depending on the location of your organics containers, consider controlling access to prevent unwanted dumping. Lock the containers or have smaller capacity containers with individual representatives responsible for the auditing and dumping of specific container.

Have Staff Separators

Provide a staff member to do department audits and provide in-the-moment separation for the customer. This is a next level service for the customer and an in person opportunity to educate the guest.

Accepted vs. Not Accepted

Food Waste is a very valuable material in organics recycling for composting.

ALL FOOD SCRAPS ACCEPTED: Baked Goods, Bones, Bread, Cereal, Cheese, Coffee Grounds, Dairy Products, Eggs & Eggshells, Fish, Fruits, Gravy & Sauces, Meat, Nuts, Pasta, Peanut Butter, Pizza, Poultry, Processed Foods, Rice, Salads, Sandwiches, Spoiled or Moldy Food, and Vegetables, Pet Food.

YARD / PLANT TRIMMINGS ACCEPTED: Flowers, Grass Clippings, Houseplants, Leaves, Plant Trimmings, Small Branches (no larger than 4 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter), Weeds, Pine Needles, and Pine Cones.

Most important items to keep out of the organics recycling because they cause the biggest contamination issues:

NO: Glass and ALL paper products including paper towels, cardboard, tissue, toilet paper, and pizza boxes.

NO: Plastic, food stickers, utensils, styrofoam, plastic-coated paper, K-cups, soda cups, trash bags, bottles, applicators

NO: Fast food wrappers, condiment packets, creamer packets

NO: Non CMA & BPI approved to-go containers & compostable products labeled “biodegradable”

NO: Diapers, sanitary products, and cleaning wipes, domesticated pet waste (for example: cat, dog, or rabbits), horse & livestock manure, and/or other carnivore animal waste.

Screen Shot 2023-03-05 at 8.57.22 PM

Common Contaminates

tags and twist ties
Tags & Twist Ties
rubber gloves
rubber gloves
packets
packets
shredded paper
shredded paper
Plastics
Plastics
glass
Glass
trash bags
Trash Bags
food stickers
Food Stickers
cutlery
Cutlery
applicators
Applicators

#KEEPTHESTREAMCLEAN