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The USDA estimates that 30-40% of food in the US becomes landfill-bound waste.
How can you reduce landfill-bound food waste in Teton Valley?
COMPOST your food waste:
Set up compost in your backyard. Click here for online resources.
Talk to neighbors and friends - chances are, someone has a backyard compost bin.
Collaborate with neighbors to set up a compost area together!
REDUCE food waste:
Intentionally meal plan (and stick to your plan)
Eat leftovers
Properly store food
Check out Food for Good, a food waste reduction program brought to you by the Community Resource Center and Teton Valley Food Pantry's community shelves, which have rescued food on weekdays at noon.
Remember that reducing food waste also saves money!
Why don't we have county-wide composting in Teton Valley?
Why don't we have county-wide composting in Teton Valley?
We would love to establish a county-wide composting program! However, there are a few key challenges:
Land: Large-scale composting requires significant space, and land costs in our county are incredibly high.
Regulations: While the Transfer Station potentially has the space, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations require any composting operation within two miles of an airport to be fully enclosed. An outdoor composting site would attract birds, which pose risks to aircraft.
Private Business: In many parts of the country, composting is managed by private companies rather than county-run programs. Do you know any entrepreneurs who are passionate about soil science? This could be a great opportunity!
Despite these challenges, we remain hopeful and open to creative solutions!
Composting in Bear Country:
Composting in Bear Country:
If you live in Teton County, Idaho, you've likely seen wildlife in your yard. However, different areas of the valley have a different probability of negative wildlife interactions due to food storage. Here are tips to minimize the risk of a bear getting into your compost. Remember, a fed bear is a dead bear.
BE UNATTRACTIVE TO BEARS
Ensure that your yard does not provide easy food sources for bears, such as smelly garbage, fruit trees or shrubs, unrinsed recycling, bird feeders, dirty barbecue grills, pet food, livestock, beehives, or poorly maintained compost piles.
USE LOTS OF BROWN MATERIAL
Brown material includes things like fallen leaves, straw, dried grass, or newspaper.
In bear country, kitchen scraps must be completely covered by 1-4 inches of brown material at all times.
ADD OXYGEN
Frequent aeration prevents your compost pile from smelling and attracting wildlife. Turn that compost, folks! And be sure all food scraps are covered with brown material after you've turned the compost.
BURY FRUIT
Use the strategy of “trench composting” to bury large quantities of fruit. This will prevent bears from detecting the smell of decomposing fruit. Learn more here.
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