Thousands of homes in North Laurel, Savage, Annapolis Junction now included in Howard's curbside composting program

Apr. 10—By Sherry Greenfield — sgreenfield@baltsun.com

April 10, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

Familiar green bins filled with food scraps will soon be popping up on more household curbs in Howard County.

The county's food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin, is expanding to 4,443 homes in North Laurel, Savage and parts of Annapolis Junction.

These new areas are in addition to the 6,300 households added to the program last September. This brings the total number of homes who are eligible to enter the free program to 43,982.

"Howard County leads in the fight against climate change through a commitment to environmental protection and a focus on energy independence," Howard County Executive Calvin Ball stated in a March 28 news release. "Our Feed the Green Bin curbside food waste pickup program is a win-win for the county, our residents and the environment.

"Every effort to reduce our environmental footprint makes us healthier and greener as a community," Ball said. "With this further expansion of our collections, thousands more residents can join us in reducing waste."

Of the 43,982 households eligible to join the program, about 20,000 are participating, Crystal Park, communications specialist with the county's Public Information Office, stated in an email.

When the Feed the Green Bin curbside program launched in 2013, it was available to 5,000 households in Ellicott City and Elkridge. Roughly 1,750 households signed up for the green bins.

As of Monday, with about 20,000 homes participating, 3,400 tons of food scraps have been processed. This includes fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, eggshells, dairy products, bread, pasta, rice, baked goods, coffee grounds, paper towels and tea bags.

Residents in Laurel, Savage and Annapolis Junction will be given the choice to select from three different size bins —12-gallon, 35-gallon or 65-gallon.

The food scraps are collected and processed at the Howard County Composting Facility. The compost is later sold to residents and businesses.

"The expansion of Green Bin composting services marks Howard County's continued commitment to sustainability and investment in our county's future," County Council member Christiana Rigby stated in the news release.

There are no additional costs to expand the service, since the food scraps will be collected at the same time as yard waste, Park said.

"I applaud Howard County's efforts to complete the recycling loop by diverting food and yard waste from landfills and composting it to restore the health of our soil," said Norma Broadwater, with the Baldwin Hall community center in Savage Mill, and the Savage Farmers Market.

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One of Norma Broadwater's chickens, checks out a container of items that will be composted. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that they are expanding the food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin. They are expanding to Laurel, Annapolis Junction and Savage. Though the bins have yet to be delivered to everyone, Broadwater is a big supporter of food composting. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Norma Broadwater pours a container of composting items into her composting tumbler. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that they are expanding the food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin. They are expanding to Laurel, Annapolis Junction and Savage. Though the bins have yet to be delivered to everyone, Broadwater is a big supporter of food composting. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Norma Broadwater pours a container of composting items into her composting tumbler. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that they are expanding the food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin. They are expanding to Laurel, Annapolis Junction and Savage. Though the bins have yet to be delivered to everyone, Broadwater is a big supporter of food composting. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Norma Broadwater rotates compost in her composting tumbler. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that they are expanding the food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin. They are expanding to Laurel, Annapolis Junction and Savage. Though the bins have yet to be delivered to everyone, Broadwater is a big supporter of food composting. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Norma Broadwater walks in her backyard with a couple of her chickens. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that they are expanding the food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin. They are expanding to Laurel, Annapolis Junction and Savage. Though the bins have yet to be delivered to everyone, Broadwater is a big supporter of food composting. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Norma Broadwater gives her chickens dried mealworms. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that they are expanding the food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin. They are expanding to Laurel, Annapolis Junction and Savage. Though the bins have yet to be delivered to everyone, Broadwater is a big supporter of food composting. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Norma Broadwater rpulls some golden beets from her garden. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that they are expanding the food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin. They are expanding to Laurel, Annapolis Junction and Savage. Though the bins have yet to be delivered to everyone, Broadwater is a big supporter of food composting. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Norma Broadwater stands in her backyard. She is an avid composter, has a large garden and chickens. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that they are expanding the food composting program, known as Feed the Green Bin. They are expanding to Laurel, Annapolis Junction and Savage. Though the bins have yet to be delivered to everyone, Broadwater is a big supporter of food composting. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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