The good news is that you don’t have to drag out the garden hoe or, really, do much of anything to keep your food scarps out of landfills. More than 90 towns and cities in the United States have some kind of residential composting program that will divert your waste from the landfill to biodegrade as nature intended. Here are some other groups that are happy to do the dirty work for you:

  1. The farmers’ market. Many markets collect compost, and some will even reward you with you a bag of “black gold”—nutrient-rich fertilizer for your lawn or houseplants. 
  2. Colleges and high schools. As campuses go green, many are adding composting to their dining hall services. Some schools allow residents to drop off theirs, too.
  3. Grocery stores. Large amounts of waste can be sold to commercial composters, so some grocery stores, such as Weis Markets, are experimenting with pilot food collection programs for their customers.
  4. Community gardens. Many shared gardens collect food scraps, but even if yours doesn’t, they may be willing take your leftovers—just ask. 
  5. Local green groups. Some community groups, such as Compost Cab in Washington, DC, will pick up your scraps and deliver them to local farms. To find one near you, visit FindAComposter.com or Google “compost drop-off” with your zip code. If you’re ready to do some composting of your own, check out Rodale.com’s great composting guide.     Also see: How To Stop Global Warming, 20 Ways To Feed Your Family For $100 A Week, BPA Linked To Heart Disease