Through the Central Kenai Peninsula’s Community Compost project, we’ve learned just how much organic matter matters in our watershed. At number three out of the top 100 solutions to reverse global warming (drawdown.org), reducing food waste will take a huge bite out of methane emissions, something cold-water fish like our beloved salmon will appreciate.

A big part of this solution’s power lies in the immense scalability of food-based solutions. We all eat; and, reducing food waste from farm to fork is something we all can do.

This community project’s main goal has been to divert 50,000 lbs of organic material from the Central Peninsula Landfill by the end of 2021; thus reducing emissions, building soil, saving money and strengthening community, all through composting.

One Soldotna family deserves massive extra credit for helping the Community Compost project surpass this milestone six months ahead of schedule! The Flynn Family, through a partnership with Diamond M Ranch, diverted 30,000 pounds of salmon carcasses from the landfill. How? They dug it into the dirt at their family farm, by hand. Their efforts, combined
with the increasing number of other participating individuals, businesses, and institutions, like the Central Peninsula General Hospital, continue to grow this solution’s impact.

This action can, and should be, expanded across the Kenai Peninsula Borough and beyond. Landfills don’t last forever, and burying trash costs KPB taxpayers over $7 million a year, making for an even more compelling case for community composting.

Long-term success of collaborations like the community compost project require meaningful change at city and borough levels. Inletkeeper is working with the Borough’s Resilience and Security Commission to secure funding to expand the community composting project and help strengthen a decentralized compost network across the peninsula.

Thank you for reading. We are able to do this work because of member support from concerned citizens like you. Please donate today to protect Cook Inlet for our future generations.