Compost Montclair!

Funded by a $3,000 ChangeX grant to the Friends of Montclair Community Library, area residents and library staff teamed up to spark community-wide awareness of the benefits of composting.

Compost Montclair is jumpstarting efforts in the library, in the home, in local schools, and in the community to maximize and sustain the impact of this ChangeX community composting grant. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average American family creates about 6,570 pounds of trash each year. Food and yard waste combined make up an average of 28% of that waste. Every time one family commits to composting, approximately 1,840 pounds of waste per year is diverted from the landfill and put to good use.

In the Library

Montclair Library set up a display with resources and information for residents to learn and discover ways to compost. We hosted a community composting discussion with local experts about the award-winning documentary “Kiss the Ground.”

Staff started composting organic waste, including banana peels and coffee grounds. One staff member shared, "My family started a compost pile, and my mom even purchased a kitchen composter to sit on the counter. For someone who doesn't like anything taking up counter space, this is quite a feat!" Every little bit helps to capture carbon in the soil, improve air quality, and minimize water use and pollution.

Stop by Montclair Library to pick up a DIY Compost Kit. Consider composting at home or taking advantage of community composting to reduce waste and build beneficial soil.

In the Home

Compost Montclair created a DIY Compost Kit with steps to get started. We upcycled milk jugs, coffee cans, and plastic snack jars into whimsical face planters and decorated kitchen composters. We used grant funds to give away 65 GEObins to encourage backyard composting. Montclair resident Sharie Boyle says, “Having my new compost bin made me want to clean up yard debris and cut down tall weeds and grasses in my backyard!”

In the Schools

Five area schools received educational kits to stock their libraries with composting books, lesson plans, classroom activities, and a transparent three-section composter. Students can watch, measure, and learn from the process of observing microbes and fungi changing organic waste into soil. One middle school is using their free GEObin to start composting on school grounds. We are planting seeds by teaching our future leaders the importance of healthy soil and good stewardship of natural resources.

In the Community

Prince William County has a community-wide composting facility at Balls Ford in Bristow. A public-private partnership with Freestate Farms, this industrial composting operation has perfected a faster method to create compost and offers residents the option for easy drop-off of compostable materials. They process 80,000 tons per year and have plans to expand capacity. Learn more about Prince William’s efforts to promote backyard and county-wide composting here.

Contact or join the team. For more information, call Montclair Library, 703-792-8740.

Written by Lena Gonzalez Berrios, Senior Librarian, Montclair Library

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Media Contact: Rachel Johnson, PWPL Communication Services Division Chief

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 571-298-7249