10K Homes Added To Howard County's Feed The Green Bin Food Scrap Collection Program

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — An additional 10,250 residences have been added to Howard County's Feed the Green Bin curbside food scrap collection program.

Homes in this group are located in Jessup, Long Reach and Mt. Hebron neighborhoods. They'll receive a postcard in the mail with instructions about how to sign up to participate in the program. Residents can also go online to the Feed the Green Bin website where they will find a link to sign up. Eligible participating households can select either a 12-gallon or 35-gallon food scrap cart, to be delivered to their home starting the week of March 31, with collection services starting immediately.

Acceptable items for the green bin include fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, eggshells, dairy, bread, pasta, rice, baked goods, coffee grounds, paper towels and tea bags to name a few. These items in total make up roughly 30 percent of the local solid waste stream. Collected material will be processed at the county’s Alpha Ridge Landfill’s Composting Facility and recycled into quality HoCoGro compost, available for sale to county residents and commercial entities.

The addition of these houses means there are more than 58,000 households countywide participating.

"As we continue to make headway in implementing new and impactful environmental initiatives and progress toward energy independence, it’s important that we also continue to offer and expand transformational programs like ‘Feed the Green Bin,’ that are positively changing our daily lives. By further expanding this curbside food scrap collection, we are empowering more households to reduce waste, lower emissions and contribute to a cleaner, greener future for our community. Every step we take toward waste diversion brings us one step closer to the best county for all," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.