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Gardeners know how important compost is for healthy soil. Making it can be messy and smelly for those in urban environments, however.
Help is available for city-dwelling green thumbs this week when the Tucson Environmental Services Department offers residents a free portion of compost made from local restaurants' scraps.
International Composting Week in Tucson is a BYOB occasion: bring your own bucket, of course.
Tucson Environmental Services spokesperson Cristina Polsgrove says food scraps make up a significant amount of waste that usually ends up in landfills.
"About 80 percent of what we bury [at landfills] is either compostable or recyclable," Polsgrove said. "That’s a huge amount.”
Tucson’s compost program is a collaboration between the University of Arizona and the Tohono O’odham Nation. The program is funded through service fees.
Residents can collect a portion of compost through this weekend at either Randolph or Udall Park.