9/8/22
In the month of June 2022, PCCI collected and diverted 2004.1 lbs of food scraps compared to the 892.1lbs of food scraps in June of 2021. This reflects an increase of about 125% of food scraps diverted to compost for June 2021 to June 2022.
In July 2022 PCCI collected 1513.2 lbs of food scraps compared to the 889.4 in July of 2021. This reflects an increase of 70% of food scraps diverted to compost for July 2021 to July 2022. Thank you to all of our participants for helping us grow!
Help PCCI Get The Word Out
We are excited to announce that we are launching our "Get The Word Out" Match Grant Campaign! Park City Compost Initiative is collaborating with SustainableCT to get this funding for community engagement, awareness, and education about the benefits of food scraps composting. We will be collecting donations that will be used for signs, handouts, social media, other materials to divert food scrap, and more to help with our educational programs that are instrumental in getting the word out about the benefits of composting, both for the soil in your garden and the air you breathe.
As some of you may know Park City Compost Initiative started as a neighborhood composting effort in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, CT. An environmental sustainability and justice effort to reduce the polluting burden of wet food waste on the local Wheelabrator (Win-Waste) Incinerator less than a mile away.
Compost was “farmed” first at the Burroughs Community Center's community gardens, then in 2021 and part of 2022 at Captain’s Cove Seaport. In 2022, The composting operation is moving to the rear of Captain’s Cove to the property of the Bridgeport WPCA. We will have more room to trial static pile aerated composting and be less disruptive visually and space-wise for Captain’s Cove.
From this start to mid-2022, the Black Rock Compost project collected and diverted a little over 14 tons of food waste and generated more than 15 cubic yards of high-quality compost for participants, community, and pollinator pathway gardens.
In late 2021, realizing that food waste diversion to reduce pollution, produce valuable compost soil amendment, and reduce solid waste costs was far more significant than just the neighborhood both in terms of potential impact and interest from supporters, and plans were formed to grow.
In September of 2021, rebranding as Park City Compost Initiative (PCCI) the team applied for and received a grant from the Rotary Club of Bridgeport to increase the effort in our pilot operation and plan for a full-scale operation at a site to be determined in Bridgeport.
Our Master Composter Andrew Tyrrell also applied with PCCI support to the Entrepreneurial Foundation and University of Bridgeport’s Bridgeport Business Challenge where he was awarded first prize.
PCCI has also applied to the ETF Grant Program for funds for capital equipment to operate and grow our operations.
Today we are asking our participants and their friends, family, and anyone they care to share this with to help us raise $7,500 in donations to be matched by SustainableCT to secure fundings that will help us educate our community about the benefits of composting food scraps not only as a nutrient-rich soil amendment but also as a way to create an environment with cleaner air.
