Let’s say you enjoy a banana at lunch today. When you throw that peel into the trash, it will eventually wind up in a landfill where it is suffocated in trash bags underneath layers and layers of garbage. It’s biodegradable – no harm no foul, right? But according to the EPA, without air, decomposing food produces greenhouse gasses 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
That’s just bananas, right?
Mona Barber thought so, too. She has always composted, bringing her bucket of food waste from her home in Grandview to the North Market every Saturday morning. When she learned Bexley had a curbside compost pickup program, she couldn’t understand why her community shouldn’t benefit from the service, too.
When Barber brought it to the attention of city council, she was told it would take years for a program like that to take off in Grandview, and she would need to make sure there was even enough interest in the community.
But Barber was confident in her community and she couldn’t wait for the city’s approval. So, she founded the program herself: Kids that Compost (KTC).
Here’s how it works: the KTC team brings you a bucket, lid with a compostable liner, a large rubber band, instructions and a designated pickup day. All you have to do is find a good place for the bucket like the garage, laundry room closet or porch. Over time, you fill the container with compostable material like food waste, dry pet food and leaves. Then, on your pickup day, tie off your liner and place the bucket on the curb. KTC has reached more than 19 communities in Columbus and counting.
“It’s something that engages young people,” Barber says. “It gives kids an opportunity to serve, to do something and to lead.”
Barber and the KTC team hope to see composting become part of the culture of Tri-Village and central Ohio. She points out that 12 years ago, rather than just haul it to the curb, most people had to take their recycling somewhere for it to be properly processed.
“It’s the same with composting,” she says. “It’s an effort, and if we make it easier and get kids behind it, it will become a regular thing.”
Barber reached out to younger kids in the community to kickstart and lead this movement partly because of inspiration from her daughter, Elise, who pushed the family to start making more environmentally mindful decisions.
“Young people are thoughtful and have leadership in the world of sustainability,” Barber says. “I thought, man, if we can get kids behind this, what an impact they would have.”
One of her favorite aspects of KTC is not only its benefit to the environment, but how it helps the kids. KTC members gain real world experience by attending city council meetings, making real change in the community, practicing public speaking skills and becoming better leaders.
Jacey Cassandra, a 15-year-old at Columbus School for Girls, became involved in KTC in 2019. She has always taken an interest in protecting the planet and jumped on the opportunity to be a part of a local group that shares her passion. For almost two years she has been part of the movement, hosting KTC meetings at the Upper Arlington Public Library and walking door to door to encourage the UA community to compost.
The Barber family is passionate about composting.
“I’ve gone to preschools and daycares to teach children about the importance of composting,” Cassandra says. “I’ve also taken trips to SWACO (Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio) to build awareness about landfills and reduce and improve the amount of food waste that’s dumped there.”
She encourages others to keep it simple and remember to reduce, reuse, recycle. Little changes in routines and habits add up to a healthier planet.
Through KTC, Cassandra and her peers are able to take control of their future, helping to build a better, greener world.
“The younger generations are the future and our next leaders,” she says. “We will inherit the planet and so it is our responsibility to raise awareness and create change now.”
DO’s and DON’Ts of composting
Do’s
- Fruits and vegetables
- Grains and pastas
- Baked goods
- Beans
- Coffee grounds, tea and tea bags
- Eggs and eggshells
- Dairy products
- Meat, fish and bones
- Paper towels and tissues
- Greasy pizza boxes (recycle the clean parts)
- Paper egg cartons (torn into pieces)
- Wood
Don’ts
- Paper towels with cleaning products on them
- Rocks or stones
- Glass
- Plastics that aren’t BPI certified compostable
- Electronics
- Styrofoam
- Pet waste
- Pharmaceuticals
Mallory Arnold is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
