Knoxville residents are hungry for information on backyard composting, and the City's Waste and Resources Management team is sating that appetite.
On Saturday, July 15, 2023, the department hosted its second sold-out backyard composting workshop of the year. The free session taught attendees about the many benefits of backyard composting, and they took home one tumbler composter and countertop scraps container per household.
UT Extension Agent Neal Denton instructed the July 15, 2023, class held at Knoxville Botanical Gardens.
UT Professor Chad Hellwinckel taught a backyard composting workshop on April 8, 2023, at Beardsley Farm.
Both workshops reached capacity soon after registration opened, and, all told, a total of 63 households attended the workshops.
Waste and Resources Manager Makenzie Read says that feedback received from workshop participants has been wholly positive, including comments like "This was excellent" and "I learned a lot."
Read says workshop attendees have been a mix of residents who are starting from scratch in their composting journey and others who are ready to upgrade their situation and get trouble shooting advice from experts.
In March 2023, the department received a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Composting & Food Waste Reduction Grant, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to
expand the Knoxville Compost Project, which includes additional workshops, composters and countertop scraps collectors, and food scraps collection sites.
Another workshop will be held in the fall, says Read.
Visit
the Compost page to learn more about the Knoxville Compost Project, how to participate and other updates!