June 9, 2026 11a
(WGTD)---An initiative in Racine that’s designed to reduce the amount of food waste that winds up in landfills has expanded.
The Racine Food Waste Composting Committee has established a third drop-off site. It’s located in the Elmwood Park neighborhood at 1st Baptist Church at 3117 Lathrop Ave.
Speaking on a recent edition of The Morning Show, committee member Sister Janet Weyker cited a recent estimate indicating that 20% of landfill content is organic. "When food waste goes into a landfill, it produces methane gas which is an emission that causes global warming," she said. "By composing it, it turns it into something that is very useful and sustainable."
The Racine committee works with a suburban Milwaukee company called Compost Crusader. That company collects the waste that people deposit at the three drop off sites in Racine and hauls it to another company called Blue Ribbon Organics in Racine County. They blend the food waste with leaves, wood chips and many other substances to create a rich fertilizer—‘black gold’ as it’s sometimes called.
Weyker acknowledged that composting for many is something that takes getting used to. "Composting does require a little bit of effort but probably more than that it's building up the new habit--thinking 'Oh what is going to happen with this? Is it going to become methane gas in a landfill or can I help the earth by composting it?'"
Blue Ribbon Organics has a retail store off of I-94 and Seven Mile Rd.
In addition, there are detailed instructions for composting and using the drop-off sites at Compost Crusader's website.
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