Lake Oswego: Composting is Now Official

It's been months in the making but as of Wednesday, June 1, composting is a part of life in Lake Oswego.

The City Council voted it in back in March and residents over the past couple of weeks have seen the green and white pails showing at their homes.

The rule of thumb is that if it goes in your mouth, it can go in yard debris bin.

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Food waste includes:

• All food, inclusive of meat, bones, dairy, fats, grease, etc.
• Coffee grounds, including the filter. In fact, these are encouraged as coffee grounds help minimize the smell.
• Tea bags
• Greasy pizza boxes
• A limited number of food stained paper products. Remember, used napkins and paper towels cannot be recycled, so if you use them to wipe up food, they can go in your yard debris bin on a limited basis. However, if they have household cleaners on them, please keep them out and throw them away.

The city even put together a video for residents:

The city says it is better to compost than put stuff in the garbage disposal because food, especially food high in contact taxes the sewage and wastewater system.