Feed The Green Bin Program Adds 4K Howard County Homes To Its Composting Service Area

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Feed the Green Bin program, a composting service in Howard County, will add more than 4,400 homes in Laurel, Savage and Annapolis Junction.

The program began in 2019 and with the latest addition of homes, it will serve more than 48,000 households. The announcement by Howard County leaders helped kick off Food Waste Prevention Week, which runs from April 1-7. Residents in the new communities will receive a postcard in the mail with instructions and a QR Code to sign up for collection services. Households in the added areas will receive their green bins during the week of April 29. Collections services will begin immediately.

"Howard County leads in the fight against climate change through a commitment to environmental protection and a focus on energy independence. Our Feed the Green Bin curbside food waste pickup program is a win-win for the county, our residents and the environment. The program offers households in eligible trash service zones the ability to separate food waste from other garbage and recyclables for weekly curbside pickup – at no additional charge. Every effort to reduce our environmental footprint makes us healthier and greener as a community. With this further expansion of our collections, thousands more residents can join us in reducing waste," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball at a news conference.

Collected material will be processed at the recently expanded Howard County Composting Facility to produce quality compost for sale to residents and commercial entities. The new 34,720-square-foot organic receiving building was brought online last fall after a $5.6 million investment.

"It’s been a source of pride for me to see this program grow from an idea to the impactful resource it is today,” said Mark DeLuca, chief of the county's bureau of environmental services. “The enthusiasm of our community fuels the continued expansion of Green Bin service.”

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 items.

Questions about trash, recycling and food scrap collections can be directed to help@howardcountyrecycles.org or by calling the county's bureau of environmental services at 410-313-6444.