KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The founder and owner of Green Heron Composting Services, Kathryn Mcdearis, started the company to help make a difference in farms and landfills.
Green Heron Compost Service was launched Sept. 13 of this year. The company provides users a compost bin and they pick up the waste by the users' curb and take it to a farm. The user can request a pick up by going on the company's website and schedule when they want their compost to be picked up.
Compost can include things like food, waste, lint and any plant matter. About 40% of a person's waste can go into compost.
However, meat, bone, grass clipping and dairy can't be composted.
The company delivers the compost to local farms. The compost is then used as a fertilizer for the farms' soil and gives nutrients back to the soil. The compost has amazing long term effects on the soil and helps the soil survive longer and grow plants better.
According to Mcdearis, the plants that grow with compost in the soil have nutrients that we gain when we eat the plants. Composting allows us to use those nutrients over and over again instead of letting them go to waste.
Putting waste into landfills also produces methane, a greenhouse gas that can harm the environment.
The first compost pick up includes a bin and a biodegradable liner for $6. From there each pick up is $12 but pickups can be bundled for a cheaper price.
The Green Heron Compost Service is only available in the Knoxville city limits but they are hoping to expand in the future.