ecoRI News executive director Frank Carini collecting pumpkins at the Waterman Street Whole Foods in Providence during the organization’s 2011 Pumpkins & Jack-o-Lantern Compost Collection. About 500 pounds of pumpkins were delivered to New Urban Farmers in Pawtucket. (Photo courtesy of Shawna Lawton/Whole Foods Market) The Green Team was started in 2010 as a way to educate people about the importance of diverting nutrient-rich food scraps from the state’s ever-shrinking Central Landfill.

That October, the Green Team began its ongoing food-scrap collection program at Providence-area farmers’ markets, whereby individuals bring food scraps to the team’s collection kiosk, and, at the end of the market, we hand off these food scraps to a local farmer who, in turn, takes the material to his/her compost pile. The farmer then uses this collected resource to make nutrient-rich soil, to grow more food to bring to market.

Since the Green Team began collecting food scraps, the program has become wildly popular, and more than 10,000 pounds of material have been diverted from the state landfill.

The Green Team also coordinates and manages composting efforts at events of most any size. Our compost-collecting services have been used at several Rhode Island road races, including the 2010 and 2011 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K, at the 2011 and 2012 Land & Water Conservation Summit at the University of Rhode Island, at the 2011 A Better World By Design conference at Brown University/Rhode Island School of Design, at various Green Drink events throughout the state, and at the Rhode Island Statehouse on Oct. 24, 2011 during a National Food Day forum.

The Green Team picks up food scraps from the McAuley House in Providence weekly and delivers this valuable material to a handful of urban farms, including City Farm, Front Step Farm and Sidewalk Ends Farm.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, in addition to normal food-scrap collection, the Green Team also collects turkey carcasses. These holiday carcasses are donated to a local pig farmer who grinds them up and feeds the meal to his pigs. The Green Team also collects and composts Halloween pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns.

The Green Team also offers consulting to those looking to “green up” an event, gives presentations at schools about recycling and composting, and shows documentary film screenings.

For more information or to become a volunteer, send an e-mail to Green Team manager Kevin Proft at kevin@ecori.org.

ecoRI Inc. is a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Join the Green Team



Compost/E-Waste Collection Guidelines

The ecoRI Green Team holds residential compostable food waste and e-waste collection Saturdays (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) at the Wintertime Farmers' Market at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. Here's what you need to know to participate:

Compostable Drop-Off Guidelines

DO's
Any uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps, with the exception of citrus peels. Citrus peels take a long time to break down in a compost pile.
Coffee grounds and filters. Just dump your grounds and filters into a bag or plastic bin and bring them on down. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, which is great for compost.
Eggshells. Although there is a small amount of residual protein on the inside of the shell, it's not enough to foster anaerobic bacteria growth.

DON'Ts
Please, no proteins. This includes raw or cooked meats, fish and cheeses. The proteins in meats and cheeses attract insects and wildlife, and they also give rise to anaerobic bacteria, which create methane and a horrible smell.
No yard waste. We will not accept leaves, grass clippings, weeds or diseased plants. Although "brown" material is necessary for good compost, we don't have the space to take in the thousands of tons of leaves that annually evacuate Rhode Island's trees. Weeds and diseased plants shouldn't be put in compost.
No poop. No kitty litter or dog mess. While manure can be beneficial to compost, we're leaving this addition up to the farm.
No grains/bread. Grains and grain products tend to ferment or mold in compost.

Many thanks to NorthStar Farm, Wishing Stone Farm, City Farm and New Urban Farmers for volunteering to take collected compostables.

E-Waste Drop-Off Guidelines

ACCEPTED: Audio/visual equipment; batteries; cell phones; computers; computer components and accessories; copiers; digital cameras; DVD players; fax machines; gaming systems; ink and toner cartridges; iPods; keyboards; MP3 Players; pagers; printers; power cables; projectors; scanners; server cabinets; speakers; stereo equipment; TVs (LCD and plasma); vacuum cleaners; VCRs; walkmans; wireless devices; wires and cables.

NOT ACCEPTED: Fluorescent bulbs; microwaves; rear-projection TVs; and smoke detectors.

• For such items as furniture, glass-tube TVs and household appliances, call our partner, Providence-based Green Penguin, at 401-736-4846.