Local Partner | O-Town Compost
It’s well known that minimizing your carbon footprint is vital for our environment to remain a safe and enjoyable place for us to live. But you may not know that there is a simple yet incredibly impactful first step that you can take, and that is to reduce your own waste footprint! That might sound kind of strange at first. But take a moment to think about the amount of trash that is piling up in our landfills, on our streets and our beaches, in our oceans, and every other area that encounters human life. We live in convenience and unfortunately most of the time don’t consider the consequences that convenience can bring.
It’s the little movements that make up the big ones, and partnering with O-Town Compost was a no brainer! We see food move in and out the door on a daily basis here at Puff ‘n Stuff, and throwing scraps into the trash is not only a shame, but naturally, it doesn’t match our values. That’s why our main kitchen in Orlando will be working hand in hand with O-Town to divert our food scraps to compost, which they will use to curate healthy soil that can further be used to grow vegetables, herbs, trees, you name it! Creating compost that supports our local food system is a parallel goal of O-Town Compost, and benefits all of us equally. We not only value the quality of our local produce from The Villages Grown, but also where the leftover food that we don’t use ends up.
O-Town Compost began as an innovative idea to reduce the amount of food scraps that were previously making their way to the Orange County landfill, and they strive to help Orlando meet its zero waste goal in order to lengthen the duration of the landfill and reduce the potent greenhouse gases, like methane, from entering our atmosphere. Not only is this environmentally conscious, but also budget-conscious for the city of Orlando. Less waste at the landfill equals more space which in turn equals a longer lifespan of the landfill. To this day, 553,416 POUNDS of waste has been redirected from said landfill – can we talk about small moves making big movements again?!
Diving right back into the dumpster, O-Town Compost offers multiple different services to get your waste footprint onto the right path. These options can help you to lessen your personal waste by 50%. We took O-Town up on the offer of commercial service, and we’ll dispose our food scraps into compost bins that will transform into nutrient-rich soil. We’re also taking advantage of their Green Events, which we’ll jump into more a bit later. Other options are compostable serviceware and soil amendments for all you gardeners out there. Some of the finished compost also gets donated to local farms and community gardens, so whether you have an at home garden or share one with others in your city, everyone gets in on the deal! Going green is easier than it seems, and O-Town is here to help you do just that!
You may be asking – how does it work, how is it possible? O-Town Compost makes things convenient and easy, just how we humans like it. With their monthly subscription, they will drop off a 5-gallon air-tight bucket to your doorstep, and all you have to do is fill it up! They’ll even pick it up from your house, and will send you a text reminder the night prior so you don’t forget to put your bucket outside. Each pickup day, they’ll replace your bucket with a fresh one so that you can continue to make a difference every day! (P.S. if you’re an Heirloom meal delivery-frequent, this option is perfect for you.)
I told you we’d revisit this, and I saved the best for last! By partnering with O-Town Compost, we gain access to their services at our catered events through their Green Wedding Service & Events. According to O-Town, “The average wedding in the U.S. produces 400 pounds of trash. By choosing to partner with O-Town Compost, you can reduce that by up to 75%.” Through the use of compostable serviceware, on-site monitoring and sorting, hauling and processing of food waste & recyclables, and expertly placed recycling, refuse, & food waste bins, Green Weddings are your one-stop-shop for the environmentally friendly wedding of your dreams! But it doesn’t end there, after your event O-Town will let you know the metrics of the positive impression that your event had on our home sweet home, Earth. Let O-Town take the wheel at your next event, and minimize your environmental footprint!
