Composting
ABOUT
Considering that one third of household waste is organic, composting makes sense in terms of waste reduction as it diverts significant amounts of trash from landfill. Organic waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States. By composting food scraps and other organics, methane emissions are significantly reduced and instead become a plant food.
Landfill is not a big compost pile. The landfill does not receive the proper balance of moisture, nutrients, and temperature to biodegrade organic matter. No one chops garbage in a landfill or stirs it, and no one adds fluids or oxygen- it is stable. These are not rare cases in landfills: Newspapers are still readable after almost 40 years; ten-year-old carrots are brown on the outside but bright orange on the inside; and 20-year-old steaks still have meat on the bones.
We decided to step up and offer a responsible solution for food waste as an alternative to current linear processes that permanently remove precious resources from the environment. We are thrilled to practise a circular economy where we recapture “waste” as a resource to make plant food to improve soil health.
OUR MANTRAS
Composting seems to harmonize our being here with the way the world should be.
Composting is about so much more than reducing waste. It is becoming more and more aware of ourselves, too - more conscious of each other and of entire natural and cultural milieu in which we live. ~ Stu Campbell, Let it Rot
Making compost enriches our lives almost as much as it does our plants and gardens.
Organic materials should be recycled into the soil instead of being discarded in a garbage can (the capacity of landfills is FINITE).
By recycling organic waste, such as food scraps etc, you don’t just divert tons of solid waste from landfill but you also keep valuable nutrients for the soil in the circle of our community.
“ HEY WILLIAMSBURG, LET'S COMPOST! ”
OUR COMPOSTING SERVICES
Residential
Sign up here for our Doorstep Compost Pick-Up Service.
Commercial
Do you own a business whose values align with ours? We can help you to establish composting practice! Please send us an email to jana@fillhappy-va.com with basic information and we will provide a price quote.
Events
Organizing a one-time event that you need a composting service for? Contact us for price quote.
“ Closing The Loop on Food Waste ”
FAQ
McGill Soil Builder
This STA-certified 100% premium compost is produced locally and is ideal for use as a topdressing, soil amendment, or mix ingredient. It's great for lawns, trees & shrubs, flowers & vegetables, for planting beds/containers and much more. Please note that this compost is a concentrated soil amendment, so it's best to follow application instructions for best results.
Benefits of using compost include:
- Adding nutrients to the soil with slow release of nutrients
- Disease suppression
- Improving drainage
- Improving growing conditions by boosting the water-holding capacity of your soil and keeping more moisture at the root zone
- Healthier soil structure and increased organic matter content providing beneficial microbes for key soil processes
Instructions
BASIC METHOD
Use 1/4 to 1/2 inch of compost if applying to the top of the soil
Add 1 to 2 inches for every 6-8 inches of soil depth if working into the soil
Maintain a maximum of 30% compost in a soil blend, and no more than 25% in containers or raised beds
FRUIT, VEGETABLES, ORNAMENTALS
Blend up to 25% of SoilBuilder with 75% or more of native soils for raised beds
Use 1 to 2 inches of SoilBuilder in native soil beds and incorporate to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, plant and water
Condition soil beds this way every other year
TREES AND SHRUBS
Dig a hole the same depth as the root ball and two to three times as wide
Mix up to 25% of SoilBuilder with 75% of soil saved from the planting hole
Place the plant in the planting hole and apply amended soil around the root ball
Firm the soil as the hole is backfilled and water thoroughly
NEW TURF AREAS
Apply 1 to 2 inches of SoilBuilder to existing soil and incorporate to a depth of 6 to 8 inches
Apply seed or install sod, rake and water
IMPACT
In 2022, Fill Happy diverted 5,100 pounds of food scraps & organic material from
landfills. Through your efforts, the estimated emissions saved are equal to:
3,424
net pounds of CO2
saved
3,903
miles driven by an
average vehicle
153
gallons of gasoline
consumed
“Our relationship with nature is unbalanced. Humans are continuously taking and discarding, and nature is continuously
giving. Instead, we need to apply circular thinking in which life is sustained and things are continuously repurposed.”
WE CAN ACCEPT ANYTHING THAT
EVER GREW OR LIVED :
- Flowers/Plants Trimmings
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Pan scrapings + leftovers
- Nut shells
- Diary, Egg shells
- Fill Happy compostable brushes
- Loose tea, certified compostable tea bags
- Outdated and reject vegetables + fruits and bread
- Pizza boxes (or other soaked cardboard pieces)
- Toilet paper rolls, shredded paper
- 100% cotton fabric scraps
- Paper napkins
- BPI Certified compostable plastic products
- Paper plates + cups (without plastic coating)
- Meat and bones (cooked and uncooked)
WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE
FOLLOWING :
- Produce stickers
- Liquids and chemicals
- Synthetic inorganic materials
- Rubber gloves and protective wear
- Glass
- Metal
- Styrofoam
- Plastic bags, wrap of film
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic cups
- Plastic plates or utensils
- Plastic straws
- Condiment packets
- Coffee creamer packets
- Cup lids
- Diapers
- Human waste, pet waste and litter
- Dryer lint