On Saturday morning, Nov. 14, the City of Santa Barbara welcomed home a load of dark brown, nutrient rich compost – demonstrating the success of the city’s Foodscraps Composting Program. We say “welcomed home” because the ingredients began their journey in Santa Barbara, where they were collected by Engel & Gray, Inc. and recycled into compost @ their Regional Compost Facility in Santa Maria. Santa Barbara Environmental Services hosted this celebration in honor of the program’s one year anniversary, and the donated compost was there to illustrate the end product of the participants’ recycling efforts. Photo: SB resident having bucket filled with Harvest Blend Compost, donated by Engel & Gray, Inc.
Who participated?
114 local businesses and 21 schools (8000 students) have contributed the success of this program, separating their food scraps for composting. In the last year Santa Barbara has diverted over 3.5 million pounds of waste from the landfill. Many of us think of food waste as just that -waste. But these vegetable culls, meat trimmings, coffee grounds, etc., are really a valuable resource - a vital component in compost.
During the past year Engel & Gray has collected and transported Santa Barbara's foodscraps to the Regional Compost Facility in Santa Maria. After blending the food waste with additional organic materials (feedstocks) it’s placed in piles, called windrows. The piles are carefully monitoring, insuring a quality product, and in a matter of months the raw organic materials are transformed into quality Harvest Blend Compost. Adding compost to soil will increase soil’s microbial activity and water holding capacity, improve oxygenation, create a healthy root system, bind and degrade harmful chemicals and destroy pathogens.
114 local businesses and 21 schools (8000 students) have contributed the success of this program, separating their food scraps for composting. In the last year Santa Barbara has diverted over 3.5 million pounds of waste from the landfill. Many of us think of food waste as just that -waste. But these vegetable culls, meat trimmings, coffee grounds, etc., are really a valuable resource - a vital component in compost.
During the past year Engel & Gray has collected and transported Santa Barbara's foodscraps to the Regional Compost Facility in Santa Maria. After blending the food waste with additional organic materials (feedstocks) it’s placed in piles, called windrows. The piles are carefully monitoring, insuring a quality product, and in a matter of months the raw organic materials are transformed into quality Harvest Blend Compost. Adding compost to soil will increase soil’s microbial activity and water holding capacity, improve oxygenation, create a healthy root system, bind and degrade harmful chemicals and destroy pathogens.
The ultimate in recycling: when we put compost, made from 100% recycled organics, back into the ground - we’re putting previously discarded materials back to work. Think about it. Instead of allowing these food scraps and other compostable materials to rot in our landfills, transformed into compost they’re put to great use: on lawns as top dressing, in the soil as an amendment, in flower and vegetable gardens, for planting trees and shrubs, and as an environmentally responsible erosion control solution.
While some folks were familiar with compost, Saturday’s event allowed others to discover its many uses and benefits. Residents were asked to B.Y.O.B – bring your own bucket – and fill ‘er up with the donated compost. Santa Barbara has always been beautiful, but adding Harvest Blend Compost to its soil can only make the surroundings more vibrant. Naturally!
Way to go, Santa Barbara! Thanks for being great “sorts”!
For more info on compost, its uses and benefits, visit
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