Last week we signed up for a year-round composting service with the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District (CVSWMD), as part of our ongoing efforts as a Green Hotel to reduce our environmental impact.

While we have tried composting before, it never worked out very well. First of all it was practical only in the summer months when the ground was not frozen, and during those warm months there was often the problem of animals getting into the food scraps before they were fully composted.

The program now provided by CVSWMD for commercial operations solves these problems nicely. We collect the food scraps then store them in sealed wheel-able totes, which are emptied monthly. The truck then takes all the food waste to a central processing location where it is efficiently turned into beautiful compost and sold to farmers and gardeners.

Organic materials, such as food scraps and yard waste, comprise 20 – 40% of the waste Vermonters send to the landfill. Not only do these organic materials take up a lot of landfill space, they produce greenhouse gases as they decay. However when used to form compost, farmers and gardeners can build healthy soil for growing healthy plants. Healthy plants suffer from less pest pressure—which means less botanical and chemical fertilizers and pesticides are needed to grow the vegetables and fruits we serve and which are used in our local restaurants—and that’s good for all of us.

So while we hope you will not leave any of our wonderful breakfasts on your plate, you can rest assured that any such scraps will now be put to a good use!