|
Dear Neighbor,
Thank you for your participation and dedication to the County's food scraps and yard trim collection program! This is a reminder that curbside collection begins Monday, May 16, 2022.
Continue reading to learn how to properly prepare items for pickup and access information such as acceptable compostable liners, a How-To guide (video and flyer), and other resources. This information, as well as ongoing updates, can be found on our website at mypgc.us/compost.
Collecting food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings at the curb will help keep valuable materials that are not waste out of our landfill, reduce excessive methane greenhouse gas emissions, protect our environment and help Prince George’s County get closer to our zero waste goals.
Resources for Successful Preparation
| Compostable Bags/ Liners |
While the most sustainable option is not to use a liner, you can use a compostable bag or liner in your kitchen pail (3-gallon-sized bag) or green wheeled organics cart (33-gallon-sized bag).
Bags must be compostable – labeled as either “home compostable” or “commercially/industrially compostable.” Bags that are labeled only as plant-based or biodegradable are not accepted. In no case are traditional plastic bags of any kind accepted.
Paper yard trim bags are acceptable as liners. In addition, paper lunch or grocery bags are fine as kitchen pail liners.
View "Acceptable Compostable Bags" here.
|
| How-To Guides |
Consider lining the green wheeled cart and kitchen pail with a compostable liner, a paper yard trim bag, or another absorbent material such as paper towels, paper napkins, pizza boxes, or leaves to help soak up the moister created when food begins to break down.
Read how to collect and store compostables with this downloadable "How-To Guide."
Watch the "How-To Guide" video here.
|
| Acceptable Materials |
Prince George's County accepts items that can be composted in your backyard, such as fruits and vegetables, leftovers, coffee grounds, and tea, as well as items accepted for industrial composting, such as food-soiled paper, dairy products, and meats and bones.
To view or download a copy of the accepted materials displayed below, click here.
Facial or toilet tissue, plastic bags, Styrofoam™, grease or liquids of any kind, and pet waste are NOT accepted in the composting program.
|
| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |
View our FAQ here. Watch the 5/12 recorded workshop session (below).
For missed collections, issues with the kitchen counter pail or green wheeled "organics" cart, contact PGC311.
Call 3-1-1 (inside County) or 301-883-4748 (outside County) from
7 am to 7 pm or online 24/7 through the app or website at ocr.mypgc.us/pgc311.
|
Properly Preparing Materials For Collection
- Remove compostable items from your kitchen pail and/or freezer and place them in a compostable liner or loose in the green wheeled cart provided to you.
- Food scraps are only accepted in the green cart. Only yard trim may be placed in paper bags. Residents may also place yard trim in the cart.
- Place the green cart out to your curb by 6 am Monday morning, alongside any yard trim bags you may have.
- Collections can occur anytime between 6 am and 8 pm on Monday.
- Contaminated compost will not be collected. A sticker will be placed on the cart and the cart will be left at the curb.
- Remember NO plastic bags!
- Clean the organics cart and counter bin regularly to cut down on odors and avoid pests.
- Collections do not occur on Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day holidays. Collections will resume the following Monday.
How To Compost Virtual Workshop
Watch the recorded session from Thursday, May 12, by clicking the image below or visiting our YouTube channel at youtu.be/MmytyhyYrJI.
Unsure if you have the right compostable bags or have other questions? Email us at pgccomposts@co.pg.md.us.
ALL missed collections must be reported through PGC311.
|
