Prescott Famers Market has recently partnered with the City of Prescott to design and implement a small-scale community composting operation here in Prescott. The project is being funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Food scraps will be collected from the weekly farmers market, and several restaurants in the downtown area will be separating and contributing kitchen scraps for this pilot program as well. The finished compost will be made available to gardeners and other small-scale growers in the Prescott area.
The program and site are still in the planning stages – we expect to launch sometime in January. However, to get the ball rolling we will begin collecting residential kitchen scraps at our Saturday market beginning 10/31/2020. Several PFM staff members and vendors manage backyard compost systems that can accommodate more material, and they are excited to divert your food waste from the landfill!
Bring your acceptable kitchen scraps to the info booth, and a PFM staff member will dump it into a compost receptacle.
*Note: We do not have a way to clean buckets/containers at the market. Line your containers with paper bags, sawdust, woodchips, or straw to prevent odors and make to your compost receptacle easier to clean. Sealing your bucket/container with an airtight lid will produce foul odors due to a lack of oxygen. Keep any lids loose until you are ready to transport it to the market on Saturday.
Tip: Store food scraps in the freezer until the Saturday market to prevent any odors.
Want to know more about the upcoming program or get on our volunteer list? Please direct specific inquiries regarding the site/program to compost@prescottfarmersmarket.org.