Help me compost

Okay, folks. I need help figuring out what to do with our compost.

Living in our house on 15th, we composted.  In NYC, we composted and took it to a central drop spot once a week or so.

In our Portland apartment, there is no option for composting. I have, to date, talked to and been told “no” by:

  1. The management — garbage company they use doesn’t collect yard debris
  2. A neighbor — he suggested talking to the landscaping company and seemed hesitant.
  3. The landscapers — mulch the debris
  4. Farm stands at the farmer’s market — Oregon Tilth is strict.
  5. Neighborhood association — Next summer there will be a community garden, but not now.

I hate the idea of throwing out perfectly good compost, especially when we live in one of the greenest cities in the U.S. I mean, come on, we could compost in NYC.

This is where you come in. We live near NE 57th and Sandy and I need someone who has a yard debris can, or who composts, who will let me drop off a small bag once a week or so.  Do you know anyone or have a friend of a friend who lives even remotely close to the area?  Is so, please put me in touch with them.

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18 thoughts on “Help me compost”

  1. No idea about composting unless you call the city parks department.

    However, 2nd Wed of this month is a local author lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory i John’s Landing.

    Interested? Email me

  2. Two possible options for you…

    Our drive-in recycle centers here take green waste at no charge.

    If that’s not practical, you might ping the Boy Scout troops in your area and see if they have recommendations. A good place to start might be http://www.cpcbsa.org/

    1. Sadly, no. The drive-in centers don’t take compost. They do take yard debris, but there’s a $10 transaction charge and the center is about seven miles from us. We are on bikes, so it’s somewhat impractical.

      The boyscouts is a good idea. Surely there’s a merit badge that covers this.

  3. I also have a bin, and you could put it in my car on Tuesday and I’d carry it out back when I got home.

  4. I don’t know the Portland area, but my dear friend (and your fellow puppeteer) Shae Uisna lives in Portland. She and her husband have a largish house, and she’s very much the sort of person who would be into taking your compost with happiness and joy. Plus, I know she’d love to connect with you.

    1. Funny you should mention this! For my birthday this year, my dear husband gave me something I’ve always wanted: a worm composter! Now, we haven’t quite gotten it up and running yet, but as SOON as we do, we would LOVE to have an excuse to see you and make beautiful compost together! We live in North Portland… I’ll contact you privately on FB with all our particulars. Cheers!

  5. No suggestions, I’m afraid, but… could you give me details on your NYC composting set-up? I live there (not far from where you used to live, I believe!) and didn’t know there were composting options.

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