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the_yardening2010-04-26 10:16 am
gailmom.livejournal.com) wrote in the_yardening2010-04-26 10:16 am
Buckets of fun
er...food.
I just wanted to note here that I attended a four day retreat this weekend, and came home with four 5 gallon buckets of food scraps.
Four big buckets packed full of food that would have ended up in the landfill, wrapped in a plastic bag, that will now be fed to chickens/composted instead.
My point is: don't be afraid to ask.
I find, over and over, that if you show up at a birthday party, at a potluck, whatever, and say: "do you mind if I put this lidded bucket here for food scraps?" people say "sure!" and tend to co-operate really well with it.
I was really pleased with the reception the idea received at the retreat this weekend, and more than 50 people (everyone there) spent the whole weekend dutifully scraping plates into the bins before heading to the kitchen to wash up. Heck, they even dragged the buckets into the kitchen during meal prep so they could put the food scrap results of that activity in there.
I came home with 20 gallons of food.
It turns out some of them were even grateful for the opportunity. Pleased to be able to send the food somewhere that it wouldn't be wasted.
So invest in some lidded paint buckets (we had the handle break on a full one during the process of loading the truck. Those lidded 5 gallon paint buckets seal really well. It hit the ground...and stayed closed) and don't be afraid to take one with you to the next food oriented event you attend. Chances are good, if you check with the event's host, you can set up an easy way for people to be a bit more environmentally friendly, and end up with food for your compost pile (or chickens). :)
I just wanted to note here that I attended a four day retreat this weekend, and came home with four 5 gallon buckets of food scraps.
Four big buckets packed full of food that would have ended up in the landfill, wrapped in a plastic bag, that will now be fed to chickens/composted instead.
My point is: don't be afraid to ask.
I find, over and over, that if you show up at a birthday party, at a potluck, whatever, and say: "do you mind if I put this lidded bucket here for food scraps?" people say "sure!" and tend to co-operate really well with it.
I was really pleased with the reception the idea received at the retreat this weekend, and more than 50 people (everyone there) spent the whole weekend dutifully scraping plates into the bins before heading to the kitchen to wash up. Heck, they even dragged the buckets into the kitchen during meal prep so they could put the food scrap results of that activity in there.
I came home with 20 gallons of food.
It turns out some of them were even grateful for the opportunity. Pleased to be able to send the food somewhere that it wouldn't be wasted.
So invest in some lidded paint buckets (we had the handle break on a full one during the process of loading the truck. Those lidded 5 gallon paint buckets seal really well. It hit the ground...and stayed closed) and don't be afraid to take one with you to the next food oriented event you attend. Chances are good, if you check with the event's host, you can set up an easy way for people to be a bit more environmentally friendly, and end up with food for your compost pile (or chickens). :)